


Rise of Twilight

by TriggerHell



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Injury, Family Drama, Gen, Healing, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Light Angst, Magic, Minor Violence, Next Generation, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 22:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 47,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14861471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriggerHell/pseuds/TriggerHell
Summary: Born from darkness,at twilight she appeared.A rebel of glass,the broken heartshe repaired.(The events of SVTFOE`s third season after the episode "Stump Day" have been altered in this story.)





	1. Chapter 1

Art for this story can be found on my DeviantArt [here.](https://drekisaga.deviantart.com/gallery/62497114/SVTFOE)

It was raining. The monster soldiers were running around, trying to gather their weapons from the training grounds. Max, a wolf monster, threw his last shields to the armory before adjusting his cape`s hood and locking the door. "Do you think the Mistress will do it?" the wolf heard from behind him. Turning around, he found a soaked William standing there. William was a younger cyclops, who joined the monster army just a week ago. "I don`t know, kiddo. The Mistress is a Butterfly but following the tradition is her decision." the older soldier turned around and started walking to the soldiers` quarters. William looked up at the direction of the palace. Just that moment lightning struck across the sky and illuminated the castle.  
The young cyclops shivered and ran after his elder to get some night`s sleep.

The Mistress of the castle, Star Butterfly, looked at the running young soldier and huffed to herself. This is why she was against young soldiers at first. They are too curious for their own good. "Do you still think that young soldiers have the potential? I always found an experience to be more important than potential." The other occupant in the room looked up from his book. Toffee glanced at the woman by the window and frowned. She always finds ways to counter his ideas. "But what happens when the time comes and the older soldiers fall. We need every recruit possible." the lizard then focused on his book again. Star didn`t say anything. She looked at her lap where her wand was. It hasn`t changed since the last time it transformed. Star`s mouth formed a small grin as a memory surfaced. "Do you remember when I killed you?" Star didn`t look up from her lap but she could feel Toffee glaring a hole into her head.  
"How could I forget." he murmured. That had been the most painful thing he had ever felt. And the icing on the cake was the little embarrassment dropping the fallen tower on him, scarring his pride til the day he dies. Star knew she touched a sore spot but she likes to see her co-worker taken down a peg or ten. The two fell into silence after that. The fallen princess picked up her wand and turned it over. She has held onto it longer than any previous owner has, maybe expect Eclipsa. "Do you think I should do it?" Toffee looked up at Star. He knew what she meant. "That is up to you. I have warned you what would happen when a Butterfly holds the wand for longer than necessary." Star didn`t answer right away. Knowing the risk she will take when she kept the wand is far too big. But can she give it up? "I wish you hadn`t killed Glossaryck." "I know." Toffee knew Star still missed the blue bookkeeper. But she is too proud to admit that. Star suddenly stood up, straightened her purple dress and started to walk towards the door. "I am going to turn in for the night." and she shut the door. The lizard was left alone into the office. Lightning struck outside. Toffee sighed and placed the book he had been reading back onto the shelf. He felt tired but there was one more thing he had to do before going to his own chambers.

Holding a single candle, Toffee walked the hallways to his destination. Why was this task always dumped to him? Star may be his partner but she can be really damn bossy. Stopping in front of two giant doors, he knocked a few times. "Come in." a small voice came from behind the door. Toffee opened the door and stepped into the room. The only light in the room was from the window. Twilight was sitting on her bed, looking at a butterfly pendant. It was a simple light violet pendant with white details. Toffee remembered that pendant. It was with Star when they met, meaning she took it from the Butterfly castle. "Why aren`t you sleeping?" Toffee asked as he placed the candle on the bedside table and sat down next to his daughter. "The thunder wouldn`t let me sleep." Twilight didn`t look up to her father and she kept her head down. Toffee gently picked the pendant from the younger one`s hands and placed in the drawer. "Come now. Tomorrow is a special day, you need your rest." Toffee gently took the duvet from the end of the bed and ducked Twilight in. Toffee looked at the giant window in the room and heard the thunder from outside.  
Twilight looked up at her father and saw the thoughtful expression on his face. "What are you pondering, father?" Toffee looked at his child and sighed. "Would you like me to close the curtains?" he asked back. Twilight nodded and Toffee walked over to the window. Now the only light in the room was coming from the single candle. "There, now you can finally get some rest." Toffee walked back to the bed and picked up the candle. "Good night, Twilight. I will see you at breakfast." he turned his back to the bed and started to walk out of Twilight`s room. "Why mother never wishes me good night?" Toffee choked a little on the air. He even doesn`t know why Star never cares for her child. "I am sure she has her reasons. Sleep tight." and he gently closed the door.  
Walking to his own bedroom, Toffee started to ponder the question Twilight asked. After Twilight was born, Star only spent time with her a few hours per day and Toffee was the one who actually raised her. He fed her, played with her, even dressed her on occasion and put her to sleep. Star only held young Twilight a little while and then had a servant bring her back to her room. She only started to train Twilight when she got older but kept a strict teacher and student relationship. The best guess Toffee has is that Star keeps clear of her child because she doesn`t want to get attached to her. Twilight was kept to become a warrior but that doesn`t mean she has to be treated like a stranger. Being a commander, Toffee knows the importance of your comrades` well-being and their upbringing is a huge part of that. But Twilight`s life till this day has been crafted to prepare her for the battle-field. And tomorrow is the day that might change everything. The candle in his hand burned out.

The storm raged on for the rest of the night.

At breakfast the next morning, Star was stirring her tea while deep in thought. Toffee was sitting across her and reading his book while munching on a sandwich. The door to the dining hall opened and Twilight stepped in. She took her usual place at the end of the long table. Both of her parents sat on both sides of her. "Good morning, father, mother." she quietly spoke as the servants brought her breakfast. The family ate their food in silence for the rest of the morning. "Meet me and your father in the grand hall when you are finished." Star stood up and left the dining hall with the click of her heels echoing in the halls. Toffee just nodded his head, not looking up from his book. Twilight also nodded.  
Toffee stood up from the table when he was finished. Looking at his daughter, he didn`t speak a word and left the room, heading to the grand hall. He found Star standing on the old throne stand, looking at her wand. "Are you sure?" the Butterfly didn`t answer. After a while of silence, she finally acknowledged the lizard in the room. " It is her birthday after all. It has been a while since we gave her a proper gift after all." The last time they gave her a real present was her first birthday when they gave her the butterfly pendant. The guards on either side of the giant doors took hold of the handles and revealed Twilight standing there. She had tied up her long, dark hair up as she usually does when meeting her parents in the grand hall. The young monster walked forward to stand in front of her parents. "Twilight, as you know, today is your fourteenth birthday." Toffee started. Twilight nodded in understanding. "As you know, the wand I hold is the Butterfly family wand." Star continued. Twilight looked at her mother to focus her attention on her. "It is an ancient Butterfly tradition to pass on the wand to their offspring when they turn fourteen." Twilight was honestly surprised to hear that. Her mother has never mentioned this. "Since today is your birthday, it is only fitting I pass on the wand to you, Twilight." Star presented the wand to her child. Twilight has never touched her mother`s wand, only looked at it. Now getting permission to hold it, gain it as her own, was a scary thought. Twilight carefully reached her hand out to the wand but hesitated. "Go on now, take it. It is yours now." Star urged her on. Toffee kept quiet, examining the exchange between mother and daughter. Twilight exhaled some air and took the wand from Star.  
The wand lighted up right when Star let go of the handle. The light was blinding and Twilight had to close her eyes. When she opened them again, the wand was not the same purple, horned wand she is used to seeing. Now it was a blue, heart-shaped and bat-winged wand. It looked almost fragile like it would break at any minute. Star just raised an eyebrow at the form the wand has taken. It certainly wasn`t what she expected. Toffee was also a little taken back. He thought it would look plain, with white and gray colors. He then focused on Twilight`s reaction and saw the panic in her eyes. "The wand changes form according to its owner. It is an extension of your own inner self." he explained to calm her down. Twilight understood what her father said and started to examine her new wand. It had holes in the head but they looked like they belonged there. If the wand was supposed to be an extension of herself, what do those holes mean? She remembered she wasn`t alone in the room. Twilight looked up at her parents and bowed "Thank you. I will take good care of this precious family heirloom." Rising from her bow, both of her parents gave her a nod, a sign of dismissal. Twilight bowed again and left the room. "Do you think she can handle it?" Toffee looked at Star. "She is defiantly powerful in magic. This is the only way to prove that to be true." the woman started to walk out of the grand hall. The guards at the door bowed to her when she passed. Star stopped at the entrance and glanced back at Toffee over her soldier. "I will begin her magic training tomorrow." and with that, the guards closed the door. Toffee just shook his head and headed to the balcony in the grand hall. He looked over at the gardens behind the castle. The gardeners were cleaning up the leaves. Winter was fast approaching. He suddenly spotted a new figure running to the gardeners. It was Twilight. Toffee knew she spends time helping the servants when she has no training. He can only picture the horror on Star`s face when she ever found out.

Night finally arrived. Twilight was sitting on the floor of her room, leaning against the bed and picking leaves from her hair. Finally finished with her task, she stood up and looked at the wand on her bed. She never dreamed of owning the wand her mother wielded. And now, all of a sudden, it was hers. She owns it. It belongs to her. It was a scary thought. She honestly doesn`t know if she can wield it. She knows that magic flows in the Butterfly family but besides that, she knows nothing. Being half monster, she isn`t sure she has magic to use. She knows her father has knowledge of different types of magic but she doesn`t recall him using any. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she picked up the wand and turned it over in her hand. Where did the wand come from? How did the Butterflies get it? How did her mother get the wand? Where did she come from? Where are rest of her family? Twilight let out a frustrated groan and flopped back to the pillows.  
She had read hundreds of books on monster history in the library and her father has thought her monster culture and in extension, his history. But her mother has never spoken a word about her past. She just knows her family name and her family bloodline has magic. But other than that, she knows nothing. Twilight sighed and placed the wand under her pillow and blew out the candle on the table. She knows her father will come in later to wish her goodnight like he always does but tonight she is going to turn in early. All this thinking has given her a headache. Plus, she spent her day helping the gardeners gather the fallen leaves. That was Twilight`s final thought before her mind went blank.

Twilight opened her eyes and finds herself sitting on a log. Looking around, she noticed the log she is sitting on is floating in a black void. Looking straight up ahead, she found a boiling broth in a cauldron on a fire right before her. But right across the cauldron floated a small blue man. He was sitting cross-legged and floating. He had pink, diamond-shaped eyes and a pink gem on his forehead.  
"Hello, kid. I have just one question for you." Twilight nodded, signaling the weird man to go on.

"Pepper or salt?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Nathanael! Come set up the plates!" the young man groaned as he stood up from his desk. Marco was standing at the bottom of the stairs, hands on his hips and tapping his foot. Nathanael walked down the stairs, purposely stepping over the next step, knowing it is one of the many things his father finds annoying. Nathanael walked past his father and headed straight to the table. Marco sighed and returned to the kitchen to finish cooking. "Don`t be mad at him. I bet you were the same way when you were fifteen." his wife told him as she hugged him from behind. Marco looked over his shoulder at Hekapoo who was giving him puppy eyes. He just turned his gaze back to the stove but Hekapoo saw the blush on his cheeks. Knowing she won the argument, she went into the dining room. Nathanael was placing the plates on the table and Ember was sitting on one of the chairs, folding the napkins. The forger smiled at her children and went to place the drinking glasses next to the plates. "I heard you were annoying your dad, again." Hekapoo remarked casually but Nathanael stiffened up. "Well, I was trying to finish my homework..." he trailed off, seeing his mom give him a smirk. Nathanael sometimes hates how Hekapoo can read people like magazines. "Look, I know you are thinking about your grades and your future but you need to focus on the present." Nathanael groaned again. He got the same `you are still a child` talk from one of his parents whenever he chose to study instead of doing literally anything else. "I know but I want to go to a good college and get a decent job. This is how it works in this dimension." "But who said you have to stay in this dimension?" Hekapoo had a habit of teasing, even after she became a mother.   
"Mom?" Hekapoo turned to the little girl folding the napkins. "Yes, sweetheart?" Ember finished folding the last napkin and turned to her mother. "Why does Nath want to stay in this dimension when other ones are much more fun?" Hekapoo had to smile at her naive daughter. "It's because your brother is a stick in the mud." Nathanael`s face turned red "Mom! Stop telling Ember lies! I am not a stick in the mud!" he shouted across the table. Hekapoo just smirked at him and continued to place dishes on the table. "I`m not a stick in the mud..." the teenager started muttering as he placed the last plates on the table. " Hpoo! Ember! Nathanael! Nachos set the cupboard on fire again!" Marco shouted from the kitchen. Rest of the Diaz family groaned and headed to the kitchen.

After the fire was put out and Nachos under control, Marco slumped onto the couch out of exhaustion. "Is someone tired?" Hekapoo teased as she sat next to him. "Of course you and kids aren`t tired. You are an immortal being and kids are kids." Marco groaned out. Hekapoo giggled at her husband. Just then the doorbell ringed and she stood up. "Now, you can pull yourself together and give a good show or Tommy and Janna are going to have new teasing material about the old man." That got Marco up and right by the door with a few steps. "What got into dad?" Ember asked by the dining room door. "Motivation, honey."   
Marco straightened his shirt and opened the front door. Before he can say anything, he was trapped in a bone-crushing hug."Nacho Marco! It's so good to see you again!" Janna cheered as she crushed Marco in her arms. "Janna Banana!" Hekapoo cheered as she came to greet their guests. "Hpoo!" Janna cheered again as she dropped Marco and hurried off to hug the shorter woman. The Diaz man groaned as he was dropped on the floor. Tom chuckled as he followed his wife into the house. "Are you alright Diaz?" the demon asked as he helped Marco stand up. "I`m never going to understand the bond between those two." he said as both husbands looked at their wives talking rapidly about something. "I know what you mean. It`s like they speak a language only they understand." Tom agreed. " Mabie you guys don`t understand them because they are women and you guys are men." Raphael deadpanned as he and Richard came through the door. "Oh, Raphael, you are soo smart.!" Richard humored his twin as they both snickered at the glaring adults. "Ricky! Ralph!" Ember screamed as she came running from the dining room. "Embry!" Ricky screamed back as he hugged the small dancer. "Do you ever not wear your ballet shoes?" Raphael asked as he looked the two hug. Those two can be like puppies when they are together. "Where are my favorite demon twins?" Hekapoo came over to the two boys and gave them both a hug. "Aunt Hekapoo!" Richard cheered as he hugged her back. "Good to see you again." Raphael said as he stepped away from the embrace. He wasn`t as cuddly as Richard. "Hi, guys!" Nathanael also joined the party in the hallway to greet his friends. Marco, being the organized man he is, couldn`t stand how everyone was clustered in front of the door. "Okay, Diazes and Lucitors, the food, which I worked really hard on, is going to get cold if we stay here any longer. So let us move this party to the table." Everyone rolled their eyes at Marco and proceeded to the dining room. 

The two families had a fun dinner. Marco had cooked his special Mexican dinner again and everyone was loving it. "What are you guys going to do for your wedding anniversary this year?" Marco asked the demon couple. "Wait! Our anniversary is coming up!?" Janna shouted across the table. "Yes, it is. This December, I took you as my wife and the Queen of Lucitor exactly sixteen years ago." her husband tried to calm her down but the raven-haired woman was raving on about how she hasn`t even thought about what she is going to get for Tom. "I hope you at least still remember our birthdays, mom." Richard remarked, taking a drink from his glass. " You will be lucky if she remembers Christmas." Raphael said to his brother. " Speak for yourselves. I sometimes can`t even remember how old I am." Hekapoo cut in. "Why don`t you remember how old you are, mommy?" Ember asked, clearly clueless. "You will get it when you're older." Nathanael answered for his mother. "I have never actually never asked this, but how old are you, Hekapoo?" Marco turned to his wife. "Wait, dad, you married her but never bothered to ask her age?" Nathanael asked. Everyone else was having the same thought. "Because, son, a proper gentleman never asks a lady their age." the older Diaz man countered back with a smirk. "Besides, if he did do that, he would feel like a kid next to her." Tom said. Everyone at the table tried not to laugh but were failing, except Marco. He huffed and turned sideways in his chair, facing away from everyone else. "Oh, don`t be like that, honey. We are just messing around. It's what`we do." The forger tried to get her husband to respond but he was being stubborn. "Ah, come on! After everything we have done, heck I have done, this is what gets you?" Janna asked the Diaz man. Marco sighed and turned right in his chair again. "It wasn`t the comment itself that bothers me. It`s the implication." Everyone grew silent after that. While Tom turned Janna into a demon in order for his kingdom to have the proper queen, Marco is still human and who knows how long Hekapoo will live. "I don`t understand." Everyone turned to the little girl at the table. Being only seven, Ember didn`t understand what her parents faced, even if she is smarter than most kids her age. Marco only smiled at his daughter. "It`s okay, spark. You have all the time in the world to learn that." Ember smiled a little at the use of her father`s nickname for her. "I`m done! The mood at the table has turned too sought for me! Come on, Nath, show me that new horror flick you got!" Richard grabbed the dirty blond from his chair and dragged him upstairs. Raphael followed them while pinching his nose bridge. "I`m finished. Thank you for the dinner!" Ember also left the table to follow the older boys into Nathanael`s room.   
The adults just let out a collective sigh and started to collect the dishes. "I actually wanted to talk to you guys about something." Hekapoo broke the silence, washing the dishes. "What is it? Does it have anything to do with the Commission meeting you had today?" Marco asked his wife, putting away the forks. She only nodded in return. Tom and Janna felt the shift in the air and went to the other couple to listen. "When at the meeting today, everyone talked about the shiver we had this morning." "I know that this is important but I want things to be clear. What is a shiver? Like from a cold?" Janna asked. She looked at her demon husband but he shook his head, signaling he didn`t know. " I and all the members of the Commission can feel it when something magical happens, that has great consequences. It is similar to what you call on Earth the Butterfly Effect." Janna nodded in understanding. "You feel when something magical happens and it has some great effect on the future." She explained her understanding of it. " Yes. Like, years ago, we felt when Ludo`s castle fell because of the Whispering spell. We call that feeling a shiver." the Lucitor queen nodded in understanding. "Hekapoo had a shiver this morning and it has been bothering her all day." Marco explained why she was bringing this up. " At the meeting, Omnitraxus Prime used his powers to find the source. He is able to do that when he concentrates enough." Hekapoo continued to explain further the happenings at the meeting. "So, where was this disturbance coming from?" Tom asked while leaning against the counter. Marco started to say that counter had been on fire hours ago but decided against it. Hekapoo looked at her husband who gave her an encouraging smile and a nod. She smiled back and took a deep breath. "It came from the North side of Mewni."   
The Lucitor couple grew silent at that. "Do you think it`s... Star?" It was Marco who had spoken. He hadn`t spoken louder than a whisper. Everyone was there when Star Butterfly fled her kingdom and abandoned her family and friends. With a resurrected Toffee. "We haven`t heard from her in years and now suddenly we get a signal from the North, where she MIGHT be." Tom spoke with a quiet tone. Star had fled to the North of Mewni but no one is sure that she still is there since that was the only left monster territory in Mewni. "Look, it doesn`t matter if it is her but whatever it is will effect Mewni." Hekapoo cut in before some bad memories were brought up. "Well, I am more than happy to lend my forces if it turns out to be a great threat to Mewni. And I am sure King Ponyhead is also ready to defend his best friends' kingdom." Tom brought up. The Lucitor Kingdom, Mewni and the Ponyhead Kingdom had formed an alliance pack years ago. "We need to go to Mewni for a while until this blows over." Marco suddenly declared. The Diaz family was great friends and allies with the Butterfly family. Marco was more than ready to help the royal couple and the kingdom in any way he can. "I agree with you but what about the kids. Who knows how long we will be away and they have their friends and school here. I know Ember will be happy to have a vacation but what about Nathanael. That boy takes his grades and future more seriously than you did and that is saying something." Hekapoo told Marco. That is a problem. They also can`t get a babysitter for such a long time. And Marco`s parents moved away, leaving the house to their son. Tom and Janna felt the tension between the forger and the brunet. "It is getting late. I will go get the boys." Tom said and left the kitchen. "Yeah, good idea. I will go put Ember to bed. You can go ahead and get into bed." Hekapoo told her husband and also left. 

The Diaz couple waved goodbye to the Lucitor family as they returned to the Underworld in a flash of flames. Sitting on his side of the bed, Marco was pondering his options. He can move his job with him, being a multi-dimensional psychologist, Marco owned a second office on Mewni for more... interesting customers. But his wife made a good point. Nathanael was, most of the time, a boy who went with the flow but there are certain things he can be stubborn about, especially his education. The door to the bedroom opened and Hekapoo stepped in wearing her nightgown. "You are still up, mi Amor?" she asked as she climbed into bed and wrapped her hands around Marco`s waist. Marco smiled at her and kissed her forehead. Hekapoo learned a bit of Marco`s heritage and started calling him mi Amor when they are alone. She smiled back at him and reached up with one hand to remove his glasses. "Alright, I will go to bed." Marco took the glasses from Hekapoo and placed them on his bedside table. Turning off the lamp, the couple settled under the blanket. "What am going to do about him, Hpoo?" Marco whispered to his lover. "I have been thinking about that. He can just take his school work with him and I am sure the palace has some capable teachers. And he can use his scissors to come to school when needed." she replied. "And this is why I am glad I married you. Goodnight." Marco whispered as he tugged Hekapoo closer and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Nathanael suddenly sat up in his bed with wide eyes. "Why do I feel uneasy?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Pepper or salt?"   
"Excuse me?"  
"Like I asked: pepper or salt?" the strange man continued to ask Twilight. The young monster looked at the weird creature in front of her. She then looked down at the boiling stew on the fire and finally understood. She started to reach out to take a taste. Her finger was about to touch the brew when a wooden spoon whacked her hand away. "No, no hands. The dish is hot and you will burn your finger off. Besides, I haven`t seen you wash your hands." the creature scolded her. Twilight looked down in shame, feeling bad. She just wanted to help but getting yelled at for making mistakes is the number one thing she hates. Living the way she has, she has been yelled at and scolded more times than she can count by both of her parents. "Come now, I didn`t mean to scare you. Here try this." Twilight looked up at the blue man and saw him holding the wooden spoon up in her direction with a generous amount of gravy and chunks. The monster girl smiled a small smile and blew a little on the steaming offering. She then took the entire spoonful in her mouth in one bite. Munching a little and then swallowing, she made a thoughtful face. "Both." Twilight said as she saw the floating man smile and with a snap of his fingers, poofed both seasonings out of thin air.   
"I apologize for my straight forward bluntness but who are you? And where are we?" Twilight asked her companion as he was seasoning and tasting the stew between them. "I am Sir Glossaryck of Terms, milady." Glossarick introduced himself with a dramatic bow, showing his underwear. Twilight giggled at his antics. "Well, Sir Glossaryck, I am Twilight Butterfly. It is a pleasure to meet you." she said as she shook his small hand with her bigger one. "Oh, I like you a lot. You have such manners, milady." Glossaryck praised her. Twilight`s cheeks dusted a little pink as she doesn`t get praised often over little things. "Now your second question. We are currently nowhere. We just exist." Glossaryck said as he turned his attention back to the cauldron. Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. As she looked around the and pondered his words, she came to a conclusion. "Are we residing in a dimension between dream and reality?" Twilight remembered her mother talking about different plains of existence and used to describe these types of dimensions as nowhere, only existing. "Bravo, milady! You are much sharper than you appear. But yes, we are currently in such a dimension." Glossaryck praised her again. "But where is your physical body then? I know that you have to be in some sort of unconscious state to enter this dimension. And where is this dimension? these sort of places don`t just exist in random places." Twilight rambled as question after question filled her head. "Hold on, milady! I will explain!" her companion threw up his hands in a surrender position. "I don`t have a physical body, not anymore. That was destroyed long ago. I have been residing in this dimension since. And as for where this dimension is, well, it currently rests under your pillow." he explained. This only raised more questions for Twilight. If this dimension has been under her pillow all this time, how come she never entered it before when she went to sleep? And how did Glossaryck get here? Did his body get destroyed in this room before she moved in? But that is impossible. This room was built when she was born. Not only does her room look newer compared to rest of the castle but her father has told her this numerous times. But what is different about tonight? The only thing she did differently tonight was-  
"Sir Glossaryck, is this dimension tied to the wand?" Twilight asked her companion. Glossaryck`s eyes lit up at that. "How smart are you milady?" Glossaryck exclaimed with a wide smile. "I just like to read." Twilight answered, not finding her intelligence that big of a deal. "You are not far off, actually. This dimension is IN your wand." he said. Suddenly everything clicked in Twilight`s head. "The dimension we currently are in is one part of your wand. This is my corner of the wand that I control. And before you ask, I have been tied to your wand for centuries. My body got destroyed, yes, but my soul will forever exist in here. Take that how you want." Glossaryck tried to explain. Twilight nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. After that, they sat in silence as Glossaryck kept stirring the stew and Twilight studying him. "Are going to meet again?" Glossaryck looked up at Twilight, finding her blue and gold eyes staring him. "I live inside your wand, milady. We will meet every time you place your wand under your pillow before going to sleep." Twilight nodded as she looked at their surroundings. "If you control this dimension, Sir Glossaryck, why is it so empty?" the girl asked. So far, Glossaryck has appeared as a person who has a huge personality. Instead of answering, Glossaryck smirked and snapped his fingers. The dimension around the turned from a black void into a twilight sky. There were crystals floating around and when Twilight looked down, the fire with the cauldron was on a floating diamond. Instead of sitting on a wooden log, Twilight was now sitting on a floating crystal couch with velvet cushions. Glossaryck was still smirking his shit eating grin at Twilight.   
"Better, milady?"   
"Very much, Sir Glossaryck." 

The next morning, Twilight was standing in the middle of the training ring with her wand in her hands. Star was sitting in an armchair with her morning tea. "We will begin at once." Star announced. Twilight bowed, showing she was ready to learn. "The first thing you need to learn is the most important spell every holder of the wand has to know." the older woman continued with the lesson. "Yes, mother." Twilight said, giving Star the sign to go. Star handed her tea to a servant standing next to her chair and stood. Walking over to her daughter, she kneeled to her level and took hold of the wand with her own hands. Twilight`s eyes met her mother`s as they both looked at each other. "The spell I am about to teach you is called the Whispering spell."   
The two woman continued to train for the rest of the day. Star taught Twilight the spells she remembered from the book and what she mastered after she came here. She also showed her daughter the hidden pen in the wand. Toffee watched the two Butterflies from the office window most of the day. Twilight was learning spells that were meant for more advanced magic wielders. And she was performing them without trouble. Like she has been doing this for years. But she didn`t know that. Twilight thought she was learning basic beginners spells and both Star and Toffee wanted to keep it that way. The form the wand has taken already made them question their daughter`s true nature. The best course of action, for now, is to be cautious what they teach her.   
The whole time Twilight was learning magic, her mind kept wandering back to last night when she spent time with Glossaryck. She doesn`t usually ask her parents questions without permission but her curiosity got the better of her. "Mother, does the name Glossaryck sound familiar to you?" Star stopped in a middle of a sip of her tea and raised her cold gaze to her daughter. Twilight was looking at her with curious eyes. "No, it doesn`t. Why are you asking me this?" Star`s speaking tone took a dark undertone, showing she didn`t want to talk about a subject. Twilight remembers that tone when she was younger, asking her mother about her past and family. She remembers one particular day when she asked her mother about the broken hearts on her cheeks. Star`s face went red with anger at that question and slapped a young Twilight. That was the day Twilight learned that asking questions cause her more trouble than profit. But Glossaryck is the biggest mystery she has encountered. "I heard that name last night. It was tied to the wand and I wanted to know if you knew anything about it." Twilight decided to leave out some details regarding Glossaryck. The way Star was looking at her was making her nervous. She always looks at her with weary, icy eyes but never out right glare at her. But at the moment, her mother was glaring at her. Star stepped forward and placed her hands behind her back. "It doesn`t matter where you heard that name or if I know anything about it. All that matters at the moment is your training." Star stated with a dangerous tone. Twilight felt her mother was holding information from her. The young monster was too far gone to pull back now. "But if my training with the wand is our top priority then this is important. Glossaryck is a big part of the wand and if you want me to understand it better, you have to tell me what you know!" Twilight was raising her voice as her frustration grew. Star herself was getting more and more frustrated with her daughter the more she talked about that blue nuisance. "I know you are holding information from me. Not only now but have hidden parts of yourself for my whole life! Where did you come from? Who were you before you met father? Where did you get your wand? I am your daughter! I have the right to know who my mother-!"   
One second Twilight was shouting at her mother with tears appearing in her eyes, the next she was on the dirt ground on her back. Star was floating above the training grounds with her cheek marks glowing and glaring at the young girl on the ground. A huge burnt hole was in Twilight`s shirt with the skin damaged. Star came down to the ground and walked over to her child. Twilight looked up with teary eyes and saw her mother looming over her. "I am your mother and you are my daughter. It doesn`t matter what my past holds. And you will do good to remember that." Twilight shivered at Star`s tone. She has never seen her mother this furious, at least, not at her. Then again, she has never raised her voice against either of her parents. She just wanted to curl into a ball and disappear. "You will do as me and your father say because we are the reason you are even in this world. Now stand up and go clean up yourself. Training over." And with that Star walked off the training grounds with purpose. 

"Was that necessary?" Star looked at the lizard by the office window as she entered the office. "Of course. She is becoming too bold with us. A good soldier follows orders and she needs to know that." the woman said as she watched the girl stand up with shaking legs and run in direction of the medical shack next to the soldiers´ quarters. "You are correct about that. Good job putting her in her place." Toffee offered Star a rare compliment and left the office with his sly grin in place. 

Twilight kept quiet as Max was bandaging her chest where Star has struck her with magic. William was standing by the water bowl, cleaning the rags they used to clean the wound. Both soldiers saw what happened between mother and daughter but didn`t speak a word. They have trained with the girl for years and have become really close with her as comrades. They know how sensitive Twilight actually is and this incident is going to leave a huge influence on her for a long time.   
Twilight was numb. She doesn`t know what caused her to yell at her mother. In the end of the day, she is the adult and she is the child. She is supposed to do what she is told to do. But today all of a sudden, she gets high on adrenaline and yells at her mother. But why? She has never felt this way and has never gotten angry with her parents. The most she has done is get frustrated with them. So, what happened? Has she changed? Is there something wrong with her? Nothing has changed, except she is a year older now. Wait...  
Year older.  
Birthday.  
Fourteen.  
Butterfly tradition.  
Wand.   
Twilight`s eyes suddenly went wide with realization. Max noticed the change of expression on the girl`s face. "What is it?" the werewolf asked while tying the bandage. "Glossaryck..." she whispered back. Max heard that name in the argument but didn`t understand what it meant. William came over to the two at the bed and placed a worn out coat on Twilight`s shoulders. "Your shirt got destroyed. This will keep you warm when you go back to your room." Twilight thanked the young cyclops and left the medical shack into the evening air. "Do you think she is going to be okay?" William asked his elder. "I don`t know. But I do know this, she is better off leaving this castle." Max didn`t speak another word as he started placing the medical equipment away. 

Twilight made it to her room without bumping into either of her parents. As she closed the door to her room, she slid down it and cried. She hasn`t cried in a long time and it was about time she let it all out. Twilight was too buried in her own thoughts that she didn`t notice when she fell asleep on the floor in front of her door.   
"Are you feeling better now, milady?" Twilight`s eyes flew open at a familiar voice. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes were the diamond-shaped eyes of Glossaryck. She stood up into a sitting position and found that she had been lying on the floating couch. She inside her wand again. But how? She doesn`t remember bringing her wand with her. Glossaryck saw the questioning gaze and decided to clarify. "Your friend placed your wand into your coat pocket." Twilight nodded but kept her eyes down. The presence of Glossaryck confirmed that last night wasn`t a dream but also reminded the whole encounter with her mother. Tears started to gather in her eyes again as she started to pull her knees up to her chest. But as soon the knees touched her chest, it started to burn. And it hurt, a lot. Twilight quickly pulled her knees away but started to cry harder with the added pain from her chest. "Here you are, milady." Twilight looked up at Glossaryck and saw him holding up a tissue box to her. She gave him a watery smile and took a tissue to blow her nose. Glossaryck left the box floating next to her but he floated above the girl`s head and smoothed her hair, trying to calm her down. Twilight smiled at the gesture, feeling herself calming down. They sat in silence for a while, the fire under the cauldron cracking. The twilight around them hasn`t changed and the lonely stars were twinkling around them. Twilight calmed down more and finally was able to relax.   
Glossaryck felt Twilight was calmer and floated next to her. The silence continued for a while longer. "How to do feel about leaving?"  
"Huh?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Huh?"  
"It`s like I said, how do you feel about leaving?" Glossaryck asked the young monster again. Twilight sat right up and stared at her companion with wide, shocked eyes. "Where did this come all of a sudden? Why are you asking me this?" she asked with a raised voice. Realizing she had spoken with a louder tone, she slapped her hands on her mouth. "I apologize, I didn`t mean to shout." Twilight muttered from her behind her hands. "It`s quite alright, milady. You are obviously upset and it is okay to show it." Glossaryck reassured her with a smile. Twilight nodded and lowered the hands from her mouth. She just raised her voice not so long ago against her mother and she didn`t want a painful repeat. The blue man sighed at Twilight. She isn`t used to thinking about herself and it showed. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask why haven`t you left the castle?" Twilight lowered her gaze to the cauldron floating in front of them. "It is simple. This is my home and I have been training to protect it my entire life. And my parents are here. Isn`t it a daughter`s duty to listen to them?" She didn`t look up to see Glossaryck`s reaction. "Hahahahahahahaha! A daughter`s duty to listen to her- Hahahaha! It`s hard to believe you are Star Butterfly's child!" Glossaryck had thrown himself on his back and is laughing maniacally. Twilight raised a brow, not finding what she said particularly funny. "Sir Glossaryck, why are you laughing?" the addressed man sat upright again and wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, if someone told me long ago that this is what Star would be like when she grew up, I wouldn't have believed them but here we are." Twilight still didn`t get what Glossaryck was saying. But he did say something that stood out. " Sir, Glossaryck how do you know my mother? I know I got the wand from her and you are a part of it but what do you mean `when she grew up`?" Glossaryck smiled his shit-eating grin again and floated to the other side of the cauldron. "Look inside the stew and tell me what you see." was all he said. The girl looked at him confused but didn`t question him as she peered over the cauldron to get a better look.  
"I don`t see anything, Sir Glossaryck. Only brown gravy and... Wait, I am starting to see something." Twilight saw her reflection shift in the stew and saw another girl appear instead. She had long, blonde hair and sky-blue eyes, the same shade as hers. The girl also had a wide smile and a red headband with horns on her head. But what got Twilight`s attention were the girl`s cheek marks. There were pink hearts on her cheeks like Twilight had dark-blue crescent moons on hers. But those hearts looked familiar. Like she has seen them before. But where? Now that she thought about it, the girl looked very familiar but different at the same time. Where could she have seen someone like that? The only person Twilight knew to have blonde hair was... Twilight`s eyes went wide with shock as she continued staring at the gravy`s surface. Her mind was racing with questions. Is it really her? But it couldn`t be! The girl doesn`t have broken hearts on her cheeks! But she has seen her own marks change with her mood sometimes. "Have you figured it out yet?" The young monster looked up to meet Glossaryck`s eyes. He was still smiling his shit eating grin. "Is this... My mother?" Twilight asked as she slumped back on the couch. If it was even possible, Glossaryck`s grin grew as he snapped his fingers and a part of the stew floated out of the cauldron. The stew turned into a mirror-like surface and showed the image if the girl more clearly. "Twilight Butterfly, let me introduce you to the Princess of Mewni, Star Butterfly!" the blue man cheerfully presented the image like a game-show host. Twilight took a shuddering breath. So this was her mother. But in the image, she looked younger and happier. And not at all the woman she grew up with. But Glossaryck had said something weird. "Sir Glossaryck, what do you mean by the Princess of Mewni?" As far as Twilight knew, Mewni was the kingdom that butchered thousands of monsters centuries ago to claim the land. The remaining monsters had fled north to save what was left of their once peaceful lives. Mewni was her enemy if she wanted to protect her people and home. "It`s like I said, your mother is the Princess of Mewni." Glossaryck`s voice brought Twilight back from her musings. But her grew wide again and her mind started racing faster than before. Her mother was the princess of their greatest enemy?! Her mother, who has had plans to destroy the kingdom for as long as she can remember?! Before she knew what she was doing, Twilight was bantering again. "How is she the Princess of Mewni? Is that why she doesn`t like to talk about her past? What happened? Why she left and turned on them? How did she become partners with father when they are natural enemies?" the floating man just rolled his eyes and poofed himself a bag of popcorn. Ramblings are seeming to become her thing. When Twilight finally finished her long string of questions, she took a deep breath and flopped on her back on the couch. "Are you done, milady?" Glossaryck asked as he finished his popcorn. Twilight just nodded.   
After a moment to collect herself, the girl sat upright again. "Now, you are probably confused about this reveal. But it is true, your mother is the Princess of Mewni. The cheek marks are the universal sign of female royalty of Mewni." Glossaryck explained. Twilight slowly raised a hand to her cheek. So that was the reason why she had these markings. She had always thought it was just something she got from her mother and it didn`t mean anything. But now they held a whole new meaning and it scared her. "I know this is a lot to take in. But let us tell the tale from the very start. Once, long ago, in the great kingdom of Mewni, lived a princess. Her name was Star Butter-"

Twilight shot up from the floor as she groaned in pain. Her chest hasn`t healed and it still hurt like hell. "What are you doing sleeping on the floor?" the young monster looked up at the sound of her father`s voice. He had opened the door and hit her with it since she hasn`t moved from her position from in front of it. Toffee was looking at his daughter with a bored expression. Twilight noticed with a jolt that this was the first time she saw her father`s eyes clear. Whenever he came to wish her good night, looked disinterested and like he was forcing himself to be kind to her. His eyes were always clouded with something that hid his true feelings. But now she saw crystal clearly what he thought of her. A chore, an inconvenience, a disappointment. The girl stood up with shaking legs as the coat slipped from her shoulders, revealing her bandaged wound. "I see your mother did a number on you." Toffee stated with a bored tone. Twilight lowered her eyes to the floor, not daring to meet his gaze. "Go to bed and be ready for tomorrow. Your training starts early in the morning." Twilight only nodded in response. "Oh, and be mindful of what you say from now on. It is time you start acting like the proper soldier." and Toffee closed the door without a second word. Twilight was left standing in her dark room. Without looking up, she walked over to the window. Her window faced away from the castle grounds and faced the forest beyond. It was in the middle of the night and the crescent moon was shining brightly through her window. Twilight reached into the coat-pocket and took her wand out. When the wand was in her hand, it started glowing brightly but the girl didn`t flinch. Her cheek marks also started glowing and her long, dark hair started floating behind her. When she looked up, out of her window and at the moon outside, her eyes were full of fire. When she looked at the wand in her hand, it had grown a blue blade. It was shaped like a bat wing and was glowing with soft blue hue. Twilight raised the blade to make a swing through the air. A slow smirk made its way to her face as the blade dissapeared and her cheek marks stopped glowing with her hair coming down. The only thing that remained was the fire in her eyes. This was the first time in her life she felt she had a choice in her life. She has a chance to choose her own path. And the only way to do that is not staying in this old castle. 

Back on Earth, Hekapoo woke up with a gasp as she felt cold shivers go down her body. It wasn`t a pleasant feeling. "Hpoo, are you alright?" Marco asked his wife with a sleepy voice as he turned on the bedside lamp. He felt the shift of the mattress and that woke him up. "I`m fine, mi Amor. It was just a... Dream." The Diaz man shook his head. "Come on, Hekapoo. We have been married for six years and I spent sixteen years chasing you before that. I can tell when you`re lying." The forger smiled at her husband as she flopped back on the bed. "Observant as ever. Okay, it was a shiver." Hekapoo admitted as she turned to Marco. That woke him up. "Is it serious?" Marco knew the threat was bigger the violent the shiver was. "It is familiar to the one I had the other day but it is... Different. Like, the first one was just the warm-up and this is the true shiver. It is hard to explain." Hekapoo didn`t know how to explain it as she hasn`t felt anything like this. "It's fine. You can meet the Commission tomorrow but let's get some sleep for now." Marco reassured his wife as he pecked her on the lips and wrapped his hands around her. Marco knew Hekapoo gets a little cold when she gets a shiver. "Mhm, you are such a smartass. Good night." Hekapoo muttered back as her eyes drifted shut. Marco smiled at her cuteness and turned off the lamp. 

The next morning, Twilight was standing in the center of the training ring. The sun was only halfway peeking from the horizon. The girl heard the castle door open. Twilight knew her mother can easily read people so she lowered her eyes to hide her newly lit fire in them. The best course of action, for the time being, is to play the guilty daughter who felt bad about her actions, when that was clearly not the case.  
Star walked to the training ring and saw Twilight standing there, gaze down and wand in hand. The older woman took her seat in her armchair. "Who is Glossaryck?" Star asked with a warning tone. "No one." Twilight answered back. "Good. Let us begin."   
For the following weeks, Twilight continued her magic and combat training almost every day. Toffee stopped wishing her good night but it didn`t bother her. On her off days, she spent hours reading in the library and helping the castle staff with their daily chores. At every night she talked with Glossaryck in the wand. He taught her about the Kingdom of Mewni: culture, history, customs, people and the royal family. Twilight learned her mother apparently was a happy, go-lucky girl when she was Twilight`s age. But nothing about her adult years. But knowing her mother wasn`t always a bitch and actually was happy at one point made her less intimidating. When training, Twilight didn`t ask her mother any questions but when she did look at her, she didn`t see the cold-hearted adult she has known her entire life but the cheerful girl Glossaryck showed her. She still doesn`t know what happened but is willing to wait for answers. 

This routine continued till the end of the month.


	5. Chapter 5

Ember was jumping around her room, grabbing clothes and toys from the shelves and the wardrobe. There was a pink suitcase, with yellow music notes on it, in the middle of the carpet and stuff piled on top of it. The seven-year-old just couldn`t contain her excitement. Her family was visiting Mewni! For a long period of time! The most they have stayed on Mewni is a week but this is going to be at least a month! Ember loved to visit other dimensions but Mewni was her favorite dimension to visit. She loved the royal couple and considered them a part of the family. Queen Moon and King River were honorary members of the Diaz family, Marco`s words not hers. Speaking of Marco, the Diaz man opened his daughter`s door to check on her packing but was met with a huge pile of clothing and toys on the floor. "Ember Coanstella Diaz! What have you been doing this whole time?" Marco let out a terrified scream. Ember jumped down from her small writing desk and folded her hands behind her. "I`m sorry, daddy. I was just so happy to visit Moon and River that I wanted to gather my things as quickly as possible." the small girl explained as she sat down on her bed. Her father just shook his head, remembering a certain blonde roommate. "It`s okay, sparks. I will help you pack." Ember smiled at her father as she sat cross-legged on the floor next to the pile. Marco sat across from her and the father-daughter duo started sorting through Ember`s clothes and toys.   
Across the hall, Nathanael was putting away his last things into his suitcase. "Are you gonna take this too?" The boy turned around to see Hekapoo standing next to his writing desk, that was cleared up, holding a picture. Nathanael knew what that picture was. It was framed with a blue, wooden frame and had small seashells on it. Nathanael walked over to where the short woman was standing and took the picture from her arms, staring at it. In the picture was a young woman. She had tanned skin with freckles, light blonde hair that faded into blue at the tips and eyes that reminded you of the ocean. It was his real mother, Jackie. Nathanael still remembers when his father told him what happened to her. Apparently, he was born two months too early and since Jackie had been ill at the time, she died during the delivery. To honor her, Marco had named their son Nathanael Lynn, the name Jackie had chosen for their child if they got a boy. Looking at the picture, Nathanael raised his free arm to the golden seashell necklace he wore every day. Marco had given it to him after he finished his story. "Yeah, I think I`m going to take it with us." Nathanael agreed as he looked at Hekapoo with a small smile. She was technically his step-mother but they had grown close over the years and Nathanael considered her to be his mom. Hekapoo smiled back at him as she walked over to his bed where different bags were packed and ready to go. "Come on, I will help you carry your bags down as your dad is busy with Ember." Nathanael smiled at the mention of his half-sister as he picked up his bookbag and laptop bag. "What did she do this time?" Hekapoo took his suitcase and a smaller bag and the pair started walking down the stairs. "She apparently had thrown her stuff into a pile atop of her suitcase and now both her and Marco are stuck sorting that mess." the teenager chuckled. "Yep, sounds like Ember to me." he agreed as they made it down the stairs. It was windy out, so Nathanael`s dirty blonde, long bangs were in his eyes and in his mouth. Hekapoo laughed at his attempts to remove the hair from his face. "I told you! You need a haircut, Nath! Here." she stepped in front of Nathanael and brushed his hair back with her fingers. Taking a hair clip from her dress pocket, she pinned his bangs back on top of his head. Having long hair herself, she knows the struggles of windy days.  
"Is everyone ready?" Marco called as he and Ember came out of the house. Locking the door, he walked over to his family and a pile of bags. His and Hekapoo`s luggage was already brought outside. Everyone nodded at him. "Ember, sweetheart, would you like to do the honors?" Hekapoo asked her daughter. The girl`s eyes lit up with sparkles as she nodded enthusiastically. Taking out her light yellow dimensional scissors, with a pink bow, she opened a portal with them and pushed it more open to make it bigger. A carriage, pulled by warnicorns, stepped out of the portal. A servant dressed in the royal uniform stepped off and walked over to the back of the carriage, opening the trunk. "Please place your bags here. And do so quickly, the royal couple is waiting." the servant spoke with his slight snobby accent as he stepped aside to let the family put their luggage away. After that was done and the Diaz family seated inside the carriage, the servant whipped the reins, making the warnicors move and through the portal which closed after they disappeared from the windy streets of Echo Creek.

The Kingdom of Mewni has changed a lot in the passing years. The streets are completely renovated, no longer full of litter and having actual roads now. The houses are also fixed and much more stable. The citizens are living better now too, wearing proper clothes and no longer covered in dirt and mud. But the biggest change is the variety of the people. The streets are not only full of happy and busy mewmians but also monsters. Before Star left, she had started a monster supporting campaign but it never really took off. But after she left, her parents had restarted it again and now peaceful monster were allowed to live and work in the kingdom. This was mostly thanks to Moon who organized most of it with Bufffrog, who is now the royal mediator between monsters and mewmians. The kingdom was better than ever with its new citizens and a better economy.   
The Diaz family rode through the streets of Mewni, getting passing greetings from the people. The family waved back as they made their way to the Butterfly castle. Riding into the courtyard, the family saw the royal family standing at the entrance with smiles on their faces. Moon and River have been ruling the kingdom longer than any rulers in all of Mewni`s history. But time has been generous to them. The king and queen haven`t really changed over the years. The only difference is the gray hairs and Moons prefers to wear her hair in a bun rather than an updo. The carriage stopped in front of the huge stairs to the entrance and the family stepped off. "Moon! River!" Ember cheered as soon as she got off the carriage and ran up the stairs to the couple. "Ember, dear! We are so glad to see you again!" Moon told her as she kneeled down to hug the smaller girl. After they separated, the trio walked down the stairs to greet rest of the family. "Marco, my boy! It is so good to see you!" River shouted as he gave the taller man a bone.crushing hug. "It`s good to-ugh-see you-agh-too, River:" Marco choked out as his lungs and ribs were squeezed. "River, I would like to have a husband by the end of the day." Hekapoo said while trying to hide her laughter. The kids already lost that battle and were laughing at their struggling father. River gave Hekapoo a sheepish smile and released Marco. The young man fell to his knees and took deep breaths to get air back into his lungs. "Marco, are you alright?" Moon asked him as Marco was leaning against Hekapoo. "I`m pretty sure my ribs are cracked but other than that I`m fine." he said as he stood up and popped his back. "It`s good to see you again, Moon and River." Nathanael said as he gave both of them a small hug. "It is good to see all of you again. If I am correct, the last time you visited was two months ago and that was only dinner." Moon mused as the group made their way to the entrance.   
The Butterfly castle hasn`t changed much. The castle was rebuilt after their incident with Toffee. The only difference was the flower bed and fountain that were built as a memorial to the place that had a giant hole in the middle of the castle grounds. But rest of the castle was the same as ever.   
The family made their way to the dining hall for lunch. The servants were asked to take their bags into their rooms. As everyone was seated at the table, the food was brought to the table. "So, what have you all being doing these past two months?" River asked as he dug into his chicken. "I had my first big performance last week with my troupe!" Ember cheerfully declared across the table. "Oh, that is wonderful! What did you perform?" Moon asked the young dancer. Ember has been passionate about dancing since she saw a show on TV. Since then she has learned ballet and many different dances over the course of two years. "We performed the Nutcracker and I got the lead role!" Ember proudly said to the queen. While Moon didn`t know any Earth ballets, she was still happy for Ember for getting her first serious lead role. "And Nathanael, how have you been?" Moon turned to the older boy. "Well, I still have the best grades in my class, I take Nachos for a ride every night and that is mostly it." Nathanael answered. "What about that girl you were seeing? Olive, right?" Marco asked his son. Olive was a nice girl but a big chatter. "Didn`t you break up with her last week?" Ember asked. She didn`t notice the shocked looks her parents were giving her brother. "Ember!" Nathanael hissed at his sister. "Nathanael, did you leave Nachos her food and did you loosened her chain?" Hekapoo tried to change the subject. "Yes, mom, I did. I will bring her here after the New Year`s." Nathanael said, glad that his love life was not the subject anymore. "Marco, how is your career? You said in your message that you are opening your office on Mewni again." Moon asked. "Yeah, I announced that I went on vacation back on Earth but I`m continuing my work with my dimensional customers." the Diaz man said as he took a bite from his cornbread. Being a multi-dimensional psychologist, Marco always has work to do. And he is actually very successful, back in Echo Creek and across numerous dimensions.   
The group continued with small talk as they ate. "Oh, and before I forget to tell you, your rooms are on the same floor as always. Nathanael and Ember can have their usual rooms but, Hekapoo and Marco, your room is now the one at the end of the hall." Moon informed them. "What happened to our usual room?" Hekapoo asked. Before the royal couple could answer, the dining hall doors were thrown open. "Aunt Moon! Why didn`t you inform me lunch was ready?" an angry voice shouted across the room. A young girl marched into the room with her poofy, light green dress. "Oh, Aqua, I apologise. I thought you would like the food to be delivered to your room after you finished your music practice." Moon tried to calm the girl down as Aqua sat down next to her. "Aqua, good to see you again." Marco said with a sarcastic undertone. "It`s PRINCESS Aqua to you." Aqua sneered through her teeth. As servants brought her a plate and a goblet, Aqua eyed the other two children at the table. "Nathanael, Ember, I see you are still alive." she addressed them with a bored look. Marco noticed that Ember`s chair was smoking a little, signaling she was burning up. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Remeber, sparks, anger is optional." Ember took a deep breath as she calmed down. "I`m finished. Thank you for the food, Moon and River. Come on Ember, let's go unpack." Nathanael said as he stood up and started walking towards the door. Ember hopped down from her chair and ran after her brother. "Thank God, they left. I don`t understand how you are fond of them, aunt Moon." Aqua said as she folded her napkin and started eating. Marco looked at his wife and, again, saw her chair smoking. Sighing, Marco leaned to her ear and whispered "Anger is optional, Hpoo. You can live out your frustration later on the training grounds." Hekapoo turned to Marco and smiled at him. He smiled back and turned back to his food. 

When everyone was finished and Aqua left the dining hall, the adults left in the room let out a collective sigh. "Moon, I know she is your family and the heir but when are you going to teach her manners?" Marco asked the queen. "I have talked to her about her attitude but she insists a Butterfly must not socialize with lower classes." Moon told him as she sunk into her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose. River saw her distress and rubbed her arm, showing his support. Moon smiled at her husband and sat up again. "Moon, have you done what I asked you to do?" Hekapoo asked her, growing serious. River answered for his wife "Yes, we sent scouts up north a couple of days ago and they returned last night. They didn`t see anything out of the ordinary but I commanded the soldiers to be alert when they patrol that area." Hekapoo nodded as she thought about the shiver she got that night. "Are you wondering about the shiver too?" Moon asked her. Hekapoo was snapped back from her thoughts. "Yeah, I am. But there is something I wanted to say to you face to face." Hekapoo said. Everyone at the table turned their attention to her. "The shiver we felt is something completely new but it is actually similar to a shiver we felt years ago." Hekapoo said as she folded her arms on the table. Moon looked at the forger with a raised brow. "But I have never felt anything like it." "Because you were there the both times it happened." Hekapoo told her. Now everyone was confused. "The first shiver was similar to the shiver we felt when Star got her wand. The second shiver was similar to the shiver we got when Star defeated Toffee." Hekapoo explained. Moon placed her hands in front of her on the table and looked down. The reason she didn`t get shivers those both times was because she was there when it happened. Shivers only happen when you are not there when the magical thing happens. "So it is possible the wand has a new owner." It was Marco who spoke. He was just staring at the table, deep in thought. "The wand has a new owner and that owner has had a magical awakening like Star had all those years ago." Moon had to force herself to say the last part of the sentence. Talking about her daughter was a difficult thing for both the queen and king.   
"Excuse, your highness, Princess Aqua is requesting you in the library." a servant broke the silence as she waited by the door. "Yes, of course. Please pardon me." Moon said as she stood up and left the dining hall. The room fell back into silence as the door closed behind her. River turned to the couple across from him. "So, you were talking about blowing off some steam on the training grounds?" he asked them. Both Marco and Hekapoo smirked at him. River grinned back as he stood up.   
"Well then, shall we head over to the armory so I could take my spear?"


	6. Chapter 6

Nathanael was in his room and unpacking his school books. He and Marco went to the school and made arrangements with the principal. Nathanael will do his studying at his own pace on Mewni but has to visit the school with his scissors once a month. He placed his last books on the desk inside the room and flopped on the bed on his back. Folding his arms behind his head, the boy tried to block out the noise coming from down the hall. Aqua was staying in his parents` usual room and she was screaming about something to Moon. Nathanael feels bad for the queen. Everyone has told him about the missing Princess Star. He understands she was someone everyone loved and she was his father`s best friend.   
A knocking on his door brought Nathanael back from his thoughts. "Come in!" he called without sitting up. Ember walked in and sat down on the end of the bed. "Nath, I`m bored. Let's go to the Bounce Lounge!" the little girl complained. Nathanael just hummed in acknowledgment. "Come on, bro! Please?" Nathanael cracked open an eye and saw his sister give him the puppy eyes. "Oh, no, Ember. You know I can`t say no to that look!" the older boy cried out dramatically as he covered his eyes with his hands and half fell down the bed. Ember just continued making her puppy eyes. Nathanael peeked out from behind his fingers and let out a small smirk, showing he gave up. His sister broke out into a huge smile as she jumped down the bed and went to grab her brother`s scissors. Nathanael tried to pull himself up onto the bed but ended up falling to the floor completely. Ember laughed at her goofy older sibling as he stood up and dusted off his pants. Taking his scissors from Ember, Nathanael opened a portal. While Ember`s were colorful and elegant, his were dark blue with the blades in different shades of gold. "Come then, let`s get Richard and Raphael." Nathanael said as he stepped into the portal. Ember cheered and followed her brother as the portal closed. 

In the training ring, Hekapoo felt a small shift in the air. Her pause caught Marco`s attention as he stopped sparring with River. "Hpoo, what`s wrong?" he asked her. Hekapoo just smirked as she adjusted her scissor knives in her hands. "Nothing is wrong. The kids just left this dimension. I bet you they went to the Lucitor castle." Marco smirked right back at her as he pointed his katana at her. "Ten dollars say they went to the Lucitor castle and then the Amethyst Arcade." Hekapoo smirked at him as she walked over to her shirtless husband. "Twenty say that after getting the twins they are going to the Bounce Lounge." River saw the exchange and walked over to the gambling parents and shook his head at them. The pair didn`t even notice the king as they clapped their hands together and spoke at the same time.  
"Deal!"

In the Underworld, Raphael was reading his favorite spell book on the open window. Right below him, Richard was sparring with a couple of guards. "Your right hand is loose, brother." the younger brother remarked without looking up from his book. Richard adjusted his hold on his ax and glared at his sibling. "Thank you for noticing, bro." he sarcastically replied. "Anytime." Raphael said back as he peeked over the edge of his book and smirked at Richard. Richard, in return, poked his tongue out at him and continued his training.   
Suddenly, a portal opened up next to Raphael. Out came Ember, who landed safely on the window next to Raphael, and Nathanael, who fell straight to the bush under the window. Both twins looked at the Diaz siblings with different expressions. Richard`s mouth was hanging open but his brother was looking at them with an amused smile. "I was wondering when you two are going to show up. Amethyst Arcade or Bounce Lounge?" Raphael asked while still smiling and jumped down the window. "Bounce Lounge, Bounce Lounge!" Ember chanted with a wide smile. "What she said." Nathanael groaned out as Richard helped him out of the bush. "What is all the ruckus about!" a very annoyed Tom shouted from the door to the training grounds. "Nothing serious, dad. Just a couple of falling Diazes!" Richard called back as he hoisted Nathanael up by grabbing his waist. Nathanael blushed at that as he stood up quickly and pried the arms from his waist. Why was he the only full-blooded human? "Oh, carry on then." Tom said as he closed the door and continued his daily activities. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" Ember asked from the window. "Now we open a portal and spend our night dancing away!" Richard answered with a wide smile as he took her from the window and spun her around. Both of them laughed as their siblings shook their heads at them. Nathanael took his scissors and opened another portal and the group walked through it. 

Tom was watching the kids leave the dimension from a higher floor window. "I think we can meet them at the Butterfly Castle." Janna said as she walked up to her husband and hugged him from behind. The demon smiled at the gesture but then a thought crossed his mind. "Twenty says they go to the Bounce Lounge." Janna smirked at him from over his shoulder. "Make it thirty and Amethyst Arcade." she said as she reached up and sealed their deal with a kiss. "I like those odds." Tom replied back as they walked back into the drawing room. 

"Woohoo!" Richard cheered as he and Ember danced to the song. Raphael and Nathanael were sitting in a booth and talking about comics. "I think that character is amazing. He just escaped his controlled life and has finally a chance to explore the world and himself." Nathanael said as Raphael rolled his eyes. "Oh please, he constantly asks questions and comes off as annoying." he replied as he took a drink from his soda. "You just say that because you like his grandfather more. You have always liked the manipulator types." the dirty blonde boy countered back. "And so what? You, on the other hand, have always loved the klutzy, innocent one. Maybe that is because you can relate." Nathanael opened his mouth to say something but chose to close it and take a sip from his drink. All these years he has known the Lucitor twins, he has never won an argument against Raphael. "You give up, Blondie?" Nathanael looked up to meet Raphael`s shit-eating smirk. "Are you two nerds done?" Richard asked as he and Ember walked over. "No, we will continue arguing for five more hours." Raphael answered his twin. "Five hours! But we have to back for dinner which is in two!" Ember exclaimed as she jumped on to he seat in the booth and grabbed her brother by his shirt collar. "Sis, relax, he was just joking." Nathanael tried to calm her down. The girl made a thinking face before understanding what her sibling meant.   
"Can we come to dinner to?" Richard asked as he sat down next to his brother. "I don`t think Moon and River would mind. But..." Nathanael trailed off while scratching the back of his neck. "But what?" the twins asked in unison. Ember quietly giggled at the Lucitor twins. She found these moments amusing. "Aqua is also staying at the castle." the older Diaz kid answered the twins. Raphael`s face drained of all color while Richard started laughing like a maniac. "Hahahahaha! Aqua is at the castle! Hahahahaha! Oh, bro, are you in trouble! I mean she has been after you ever since you broke up with her! Hahahaha!" Richard continued to laugh as he flopped his head on the table and hitting the surface with his fist repeatedly. "Thank you for the reminder, brother." Raphael hissed while glaring at his laughing brother. He hated to be reminded of those few months he spent with Aqua. At first, she was sweet and polite but the more he got to know her, the more her snobby and spoiled side came out. She became more bossy and uptight with him. After he broke up with her last year, Aqua has been trying to get him back because she found him handsome and he was royalty, like her. "Are you still gonna come to dinner?" Raphael was pulled from his musings and looked at the one who had spoken. Ember was watching him with hopeful eyes, wishing he would come. Raphael just cracked a smile and shook his head. "Of course we are coming. We haven`t seen Moon and River for a while." Ember`s whole face lit up with the widest smile she could muster. "Then it`s decided. We will have dinner at the Butterfly castle tonight. But, Raphael, are you sure?" Nathanael looked at the demon. "I will not let a lovesick princess ruin my night with friends. Besides, she is a nuisance, not an actual enemy." Raphael said back to him. "I still think you should give her a haircut, with a spell preferably." Richard muttered under his breath. He never liked the heir to Mewni`s throne. But his brother had heard what he said and got an elbow to the ribs.  
"As much as I want to do something to her light green hair, she is still the ruler in training of our greatest ally. I don`t want to ruin our good relations because of some little history." Richard groaned at his twin. Raphael`s diplomatic side was taking over.   
The Diaz siblings just gave the twins amused smiles but in their heads, they were on Richard`s side. They may or may not have drawn mustaches on to the water drop cheek marks of a certain heiress at the night of her birthday. 

A portal opened in front of the dining hall`s doors in the Butterfly castle. The group of friends stepped out of it and proceeded to the hall. When Richard and Nathanael opened the doors, they heard laughter coming from the table. "Mom? Dad?" the twins asked at the same time as they saw Tom and Janna sitting at the table with Marco, Hekapoo, Moon and River. "Oh, hi boys! About time you showed up!" Janna said with a smile as she walked over to her sons. She pinched their cheeks as the twins blushed. "Mom!" they both shouted as they got away from her and walked to the table. "Oh, come now. Your mother was just being her playful self." Tom said as everyone else laughed or cracked a smile at the Lucitor family. "Trust me, it could be worse." Nathanael said to his friends as he sat down next to his mother and gave her a knowing smile. Hekapoo winked back at him and turned herself to her husband. Marco was busy talking with Tom about something so he didn`t notice when Hekapoo raised her arm and playfully hit him upside to the head. Marco felt a rush of warmth on the back of his head and quickly raised his arm to touch the spot his wife had hit. "Not again!" Marco exclaimed as he felt skin instead of thick hair on that spot. "And that is how bad it could be." Janna said matter-of-factly to Richard and Raphael as they all laughed at Marco`s antics as he tried to cover his head. with his shirt. "By the way, where did you all go?" Moon asked as she turned her attention to the kids. "Oh, we went to get Ricky and Ralph and then to the Bounce Lounge!" Ember said with a smile as she remembered the fun she had dancing. 

No one, excluding River, saw Janna and Marco groan as they handed money to the grinning Tom and Hekapoo.


	7. Chapter 7

"That was sloppy." Star said from her seat as Twilight finished casting a spell. The young monster wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand as she resisted glaring at her mother. They have trained with magic mercilessly for the last month. The weather was getting colder as winter was drawing nearer but Star insisted on training outside. She wore her warm and thick coat but Twilight had to make due with a simple black cloak with a hood. Star said it was to build her resistance to cold weather. "It is time for dinner. We will stop here, dismissed." and without another word, Star walked inside the castle. Twilight was left standing in the middle of the training grounds. A cold breeze went by and Twilight shivered, pulling the cloak closer to herself. Looking up, Twilight noticed the sky was full of dark clouds. "A storm must be coming on." she muttered to herself as she made her way indoors.

Toffee walked into the dining hall and found his daughter sitting alone at the table and stirring soup with her spoon. "Where is your mother?" the older monster asked as he took the plate with his supper and started walking to his and Star`s shared study. "She is in the office." Twilight answered without looking up from her plate. Toffee nodded and left the room. Twilight let out a loud sigh as she flopped back in her chair. Since the night she found out her father`s true feelings regarding her, Twilight has had the nagging feeling this isn`t right. That she doesn`t belong in this castle. During her nightly talks with Glossaryck, he keeps asking if she wants to leave and honestly, Twilight is considering it. But where will she go? The only place that is safe for monsters in the north but it was also her parents` territory and they will surely find her. But what if she traveled more south? But that is a certain death sentence. The Kingdom of Mewni is not that kind of monsters, at least, that is what her parents have told her.  
But Glossaryck told her that her own mother is the Princess of Mewni. That is also something Twilight has been pondering this month. Apparently, she has royal blood and that blood belongs to the royal family of Mewni. Glossaryck has told her stories of her mother`s younger years, her old friends, her life on Earth and all of her wacky adventures. But he has never told her why she left. Why she turned on them and raised Toffee from the dead. Twilight groaned as she hit her head on the dining table and kept hitting her head rapidly. "Careful, you might draw blood." Twilight quickly raised her head with lightly pink cheeks. Morgana, the head servant of the palace, was standing at the entrance with an amused smile on her lips. She was an elderly monster who`s bottom half was a snake tail. "You should eat before your soup runs cold." Morgana said as she started cleaning the table from extra dishes. "I`m not hungry." Twilight muttered as she lowered her gaze to the plate in front of her. "I know but you need the energy. If I remember correctly, love, you haven`t eaten since morning and you completely skipped lunch." the older woman said as she pushed the plate closer to Twilight. The younger girl shook her head at the maid and finally started eating. "And when you finish, your parents want an audience with you." Morgana said as she slithered out of the dining hall.

After finishing her meal, Twilight was making her way through the castle to the office. She thought about all the reasons her parents might want to speak with her when she heard shouting from the office. Both voices belonged to Star and Toffee. Twilight sneaked to the wall next to the door to listen to their conversation. The door was creaked open a little, meaning Twilight could hear better why her parents are fighting.   
"We can`t wait anymore! We have to start planning the attack!" Toffee shouted as he punched the desk. "She isn`t ready! There are still many spells I have to teach her before we can plan anything." Star said back as she sat in the armchair by the window. She was glaring icicles at the lizard. "But the longer we wait, the more time Mewni has to prepare if we attack." Toffee countered back. "Attack on Mewni?" Twilight asked quietly as she watched the adults through the small crack. "You are being so paranoid. They don`t know we are up here and I am pretty sure they all think I left long ago." the woman said as she looked out of the window. "But the Council gets shivers and I am pretty sure they felt something by now." Star rolled her eyes at his words, stood up and turned to look Toffee dead in the eyes. "We will not attack the Kingdom of Mewni until I am certain Twilight is ready to fight. Is that clear?" Toffee didn`t shy away from her gaze but Twilight shivered outside the room. They want her to fight? Have they been planning this for years? To know more, Twilight kept listening. "But what if she finds out the truth?" Toffee asked after a moment of silence. Star huffed at him. "What if she finds out you are the Princess of our target? What if she finds out she will be killing her own relatives? What if she finds out what really is going on in Mewni before we are able to stop her.?" Toffee kept speaking to Star and every word from his mouth sent doubt into Star`s head and heart. "She won't." Star said as she straightened her back. "Twilight won't know the truth about me or Mewni as long as I live. That was the reason why we never let her outside the palace walls, right?" the danger was back in her tone and Twilight shivered even more violently than before. She was very lucky as neither of her parents have discovered her. But the truth of Mewni? What are they talking about?   
Toffee let out a tired groan and sat back into his chair at the desk. "Maybe it was a mistake to keep her. Maybe I should have just let you destroy her before she was born." he said with a bored tone. "Well, it is too late to do that now. I knew you would regret it once Twilight grew up but you were so persistent at the time." Star said back as she sat down. "She is such a troublesome child. But at least she knows how to fight and has strong magic. That makes her a little bit more useful." Toffee spoke again as he started flipping through some documents on the desk. "I agree. After all, she is the key to our victory." Star agreed with him as she reached out for a book and started reading like the fight never happened. 

Tears fell as Twilight slid down the wall she was leaning on. Sitting on the floor, she let the tears fall as she thought about everything she just heard. This explains everything. Why she was never allowed to leave the castle, why they trained her all the time, why they never showed true affection for her. Standing up with shaking legs, Twilight took a few steps before breaking into a run. Tears blinded her vision as she ran down the hallway without a destination in mind. Twilight suddenly pumped into someone and fell on her bottom. "Twilight, are you okay?" Morgana asked as she lowered herself to check the young monster. She was met with red, teary eyes and a broken face. Morgana gasped quietly as she sat down next to Twilight. She pulled her into a hug and smoothed her hair. "It`s going to be okay, don`t cry. Tell me, what happened?" the older woman asked as they both stood up. Twilight took a deep breath before answering "I heard mother and father talking in the study. They said awful things about me. The wished the didn`t-" Twilight couldn`t finish her sentence as she broke into tears again. Morgana didn`t need to hear the rest as she understood what the young girl had heard. She had heard them talk about the subject when she brought them something. "Come, love. Let us go somewhere we can talk." Morgana said calmly as she took Twilight`s hand and took her to the soldiers' quarters. 

William was tinkering with a piece of wood on the floor and Max was sitting near the heart, drinking ale. A sudden knocking on the door startled both of them. Maz groaned as he stood up and walked to the wooden door. "I`m comin`, I`m comin`!" he yelled as he opened the door with force, knocking a few shields off the wall. "What the fu- Oh, Morgana, good evening!" Max said a little too cheerfully and gave an awkward smile. "Good evening to you too, Maximus." Morgana said back with a bored tone as she slithered in with Twilight next to her. William was the first to notice the young girl, whose head was lowered. "Twilight, what happened?" William asked quietly as he walked over to her. William was the only one in the castle who was close to Twilight`s age, being only two years older than her. Without making a sound, Twilight tore her hand from Morgana`s and pulled William into a tight hug. The cyclops awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and hugged back. Max took notice of that and turned to Morgana with a serious face. "Did she finally find out?" he asked the older servant.   
"Unfortunately. They were talking in the office and Twilight heard everything. She has such a fragile soul, I can`t believe what it did to her." Morgana said in a quiet tone as she sat down on the bench in the room. Twilight and William were sitting on the carpet, the boy holding the younger girl in his arms. They always had a close sibling-like relationship.   
After a while, Twilight finally pulled away from William and wiped her eyes. Looking down, she saw that William`s shirt was wet. "I apologize for getting tear-stains on you clothing William." The cyclops smiled at her and shook his head. "Don`t worry about it. You needed comfort and that is more important than a shirt." he said back. Twilight nodded and looked at Morgana and Max, sitting on the bench. "How long have you known about their opinion on me?" Twilight asked the older monsters. Max and Morgana exchanged a look before the woman turned to face the teens on the carpet. "Ever since your mother got pregnant. They have always talked like that when they think you can`t hear." Twilight nodded, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her lizard tail around them. "What is the truth of Mewni?" Twilight`s muffled voice asked the group. 

"The truth of Mewni is that it no longer is hostile to monsters." Morgana answered her. "What?!" Twilight`s head shot up with wide eyes. "It is true. For the past decade, Mewni has welcomed peaceful monsters to live, work and have normal lives in the kingdom. There is even a monster politic in charge of the relations between mewmians and monsters. My grandson lives there as a blacksmith with his family. They send me letters every month." Twilight suddenly stood up and walked in front of Morgana. "How can I escape?" she asked the elders sitting. "Whoa wait! What do you mean how can you escape?" Max jumped up as he looked at the girl with wide eyes. "Mother and father talked about an attack on the Kingdom of Mewni. They talked about how I am the key to their victory. How I am the one who will kill-" Twilight suddenly stopped her rambling and slid to her knees. "How I am the one who will kill my relatives." she finished quietly.   
Morgana lowered herself to the floor and gently took Twilight`s chin between her fingers. "You want to warn them. You want to let them know that something dangerous may be coming." the servant stated with a firm tone. Twilight looked straight into her eyes and nodded confidently. At that moment, Morgana saw the fire in her eyes. She knew there was something different about her for the last month but this is really unexpected. Max and William also noticed the dancing flames in her eyes. This is the true her, the real Twilight.

"Go to your room, pack a bag with necessaries and wait for Morgana. Don`t leave your room before then. We will meet in the East wing library." Twilight looked at Max who just spoke. "Are you going to help me escape?" she asked with a small grin, showing her sharp teeth. Max grinned back, showing his sharper, bigger teeth. William also stood up, smiling. Morgana straightened herself and slithered over to the two soldiers. "We are all helping you escape." Morgana said with pride.  
Twilight nodded, still grinning. "Then let us get to work."


	8. Chapter 8

Twilight was walking around her bedroom, grabbing anything that might be useful. A spare outfit, a small lantern with extra candles and matches, some fruit from the fruit bowl, some parchment with a quill and a small ink pot, small hair clips to pick locks, a compass and a warm but small blanket from her closet. She took her black cloak and fastened it around her shoulders with the violet butterfly pendant. Glancing at her nightstand, Twilight saw her wand sitting there. Without even thinking she grabbed it and tied it to her belt. Tying her boots tightly, Twilight tried to remember where her parents are at this time. Standing up from her bed, she dusted off her dress, remembering Star and Toffee are most likely in the study or their personal library, which is in the west wing.   
Twilight walked to her door and waited for Morgana. Looking at her bedroom, Twilight grew a little sad. The Kingdom of Mewni was pretty far from the north and she has never been outside the castle grounds. Who knows when she sees her bed or her favorite writing desk again. The movement of the door brought Twilight back from her musings. Morgana poked her through the door and gave Twilight a small smile. "Are you ready, love?" Twilight smiled back with a small quirk of her lips. "As ready as I will ever be." she answered as the two women made their way through the palace. Morgana suddenly stopped in her tracks, signaling Twilight to get behind her. A couple of high-ranking guards walked past them without saying a word. "Be on your guard. It looks like your parents are moving about, meaning their most loyal guards are around and you know they won`t turn a blind eye to you." Morgana whispered. Twilight nodded and they started moving again. 

Turning another corner, they finally made it to the east wing library. Max and William were already there with a few other soldiers, with who Twilight has trained with in the past. "There you guys are! I was already wondering if the old snake forgot about our little mission." the werewolf cheered. Morgana hurried next to him and slapped him. "Be quiet! High-ranks are on the move! And who are you calling an old snake, you dog!" Morgana whisper-shouted at him. The other soldiers started whispering among themselves, growing nervous about the danger lurking around. Max rubbed his cheek but nodded in understanding. "Twilight, here is the map of the mountain glen and the Forest of Certain Death. Thanks to our scouts, we were able to mark out the safest and fastest way to the kingdom`s capital. It is marked red on the map." William spoke up as he handed the rolled up map to Twilight. The girl nodded and placed the map into her satchel. "And for the record, we used glow-in-the-dark ink, so you can see the path during the night." William sheepishly added. "Thank you." Twilight whispered back with a small smile.   
"Twilight, come here." Morgana said from the table behind them. Walking over, there was a huge map of the castle on the table. "We are here at the moment. The secret exit to the woods is here." Max started explaining, pointing from their location to the southern tower. "If the high-ranks are patrolling this hour, it means Mistress and Master are also moving about." William added. "That is right. We need to sneak through the grand hall, the place where they most likely are." Morgana said. "How are we going to get past there?" One of the soldiers asked. "I think I know how." Twilight spoke up. Everyone turned their attention to her. "I just recently learned an invisibility spell. But there is a time-limit to how long it lasts and I haven`t cast it on more than one person." she said looking back to the map. "Well, the most important is that you and one of us make it to the southern tower since we all know where the exit is." Max said, placing his finger on his chin. "The spell also doesn`t disguise sound, so we have to be extra quiet when using it." Twilight added with a growing frown. "We can do that. Stealth in part of our training." another soldier added with pride. The others nodded in unison. "Still, after the grand hall, we also have to deal with more high-ranks since there is more of them in the front sections of the castle." Morgana said. "That is why we brought these." Max said as he and the other soldiers raised their weapons and shields. "Are you planning on fighting them? What is wrong with you!? If we cause even a little bit of ruckus, Twilight will be discovered and all of us will be punished!" Morgana whisper-shouted again at Max. "We don`t have a choice. You know how sharp their senses are. Fighting is the only way to get through this. It will also make the perfect distraction for Twilight and someone to sneak away to the exit." the werewolf grabbed Morgana`s wrist before she could slap him again and looked her dead in the eyes. "You are right, I`m sorry." Morgana said with a calmer tone. Max nodded and let go of her wrist. 

"Why are you helping me?" Twilight asked quietly, grabbing everyone`s attention. "You will only get in trouble. Why couldn`t you just give me the instructions and let me handle the rest of it?" the young monster looked at everyone at the table with a worried look in her eyes. "Have you ever wondered, that there is a better life waiting for us in Mewni but we haven`t left?" William asked her in return. Twilight shook her head. "It is because we are unable to. Master and Mistress placed a spell on us that forbids us from leaving since they needed soldiers for their plans and servants for the castle." Morgana said, lowering her gaze. Twilight suddenly understood why they are desperate to get her out of here. Because then she can find help and rescue them. "I understand. I will do everything in my power to get you, all of you, out of this cursed castle." Twilight promised with a firm tone. The other monsters looked at her with grateful smiles. "Okay, let`s get going." Max said as he pulled on his helmet and opened the library door. 

The group walked quietly across the hall. Max was leading the way, followed by Twilight, William, Morgana and rest of the soldiers. Raising his paw, signaling that High-ranks were walking their way. Ducking behind a wall, they waited patiently as they passed and started moving again. The entire time they were sneaking, Twilight`s heart was pounding in her chest like it wanted to break out of her ribcage. She has never left the castle or even been outside of her room at this time during the night. Her hands were shaking but she tried to hide it by grabbing the skirt of her dress. Twilight felt like she could throw up at any moment. Suddenly, she felt something on her arm. Looking at it, she saw another`s hand on hers. She looked up and locked eyes with William, who gave her a reassuring smile. Twilight gave crooked smile back and continued to follow Max.   
"Keep up, soldiers." Max said in the quietest whisper he can manage. The group nodded and walked down the next hallway. The whole castle was a huge maze and if you didn`t know the way, you could get lost really easily. The group finally made it to the back doors of the grand hall. Everyone looked at Twilight as she took her wand from her belt and casted her spell. Twilight learned a while ago to cast spells without speaking the spell out loud. The group felt a cold shiver go down their spines as the spell took effect. They still saw each other but could make out the blurred outlines that surrounded everyone. Morgana was the only one who wasn`t affected by the magic. They agreed she was going to be their shield/distraction. Taking a breath, the woman opened the door to the grand hall. As they expected, Star was there, using magic to write numerous reports at the same time. Different quills, papers, envelopes and pens floated around the room. The woman in the center looked up from her work at the sound of the door opening. "I apologize for disturbing you, Mistress. I just need to get through." Morgana apologized as she started slithering across the room, going to the main entrance of the hall. Unknownst to Star, the rest of the company was quietly walking behind Morgana, her slithering sound disguising any other sound coming from the group.   
"Morgana, may I ask you something." Star suddenly spoke up. The servant stopped suddenly in her tracks and rest of the group walked into each other, trying to make as little noise as possible. "Of course, Mistress. What is it that you wish to know?" Morgana asked as she felt the group quietly start walking to the door again. The spell had started fading. 

With a frown on his face, Toffee was making his way to Twilight`s room. Why was always he the one to bring her messages? Did Star just not know where her room was and to save herself the embarrassment, she asks Toffee to do it? Now that is an amusing thought. With an amused smile, Toffee signaled the soldiers following him to wait outside the door.   
"Twilight, tomorrow morning you will-" the lizard started to speak but stopped abruptly when he saw the room was empty and the lights were out. Maybe she was in her bathroom? Toffee walked deeper into the room and opened the door that led into the connected bathroom. Opening it, Toffee found a cold and dark bathroom with no Twilight. Stepping into the main room again, he started looking around. She wasn`t on the windowsill, not behind the bed either. That is when he saw a lump under the duvet. Grabbing the fabric, he tore the duvet from the bed. Under the covers were just pillows piled to look like someone was sleeping there. Panic was starting to rise in Toffee as he looked around the room, trying to figure out where Twilight might be hiding. But that was when he noticed the missing parchments from her desk and the slightly open closet door where clothes were obviously missing. Toffee tore the closet door fully open and his eyes went wide with panic and surprise. Twilight`s warmest clothes, satchel and spare blanket were missing. The lizard`s mind started racing as he tried to find a reason why all of these things were gone. Overcome by paranoia, Toffee dashed out of the room in the direction of the grand hall.   
He had to find Star.

"Do you... Ahem, Do you think I have been a good parent?" Star asked her servant. Morgana was taken aback, not expecting Star to bring something up they talked about years ago. "Well, Mistress, Twilight smart, strong and polite. Those are all good signs you have thought her well." the older monster replied, feeling sweat roll down the nape of her neck. The group was almost at the door but they can`t open it on their own without being discovered. "I know I have been a good teacher but have I been a good mother?" Star continued, her face growing more worried by the second. This was the first time she was alone with Morgana in a long time and she had some things to tell her, most importantly why she left the Butterfly Castle. She hasn`t spoken to anyone about it, not even Toffee, and it was growing heavier in her heart each day. "Morgana, there is something-" the mewmian was abruptly cut off as Toffee pushed open the second entrance doors, all sweaty and eyes full of panic. Star`s softer expression turned into her usual cold one as she turned to the tired lizard. "What do you want?" she asked, annoyed by being interrupted.   
"It is about Twilight. She is missing!" Toffee shouted with built up anger at her partner. Star`s own eyes went wide at that as she turned to a very worried Morgana. "I will gather the servants and ask them if they have seen her. Excuse me." Morgana bowed quickly and hurried to the main door. "I will have the guards search the castle and I will..." Toffee trailed off as he and Star looked in the direction of Morgana.   
There she stood, with a panicked look, and Twilight. She was dressed in her warmest dress, boots and her black cloak. She was obviously dressed for traveling. With her were a few soldiers, including Max, one of the generals, and William, the youngest soldier they had. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" Toffee shouted as his face grew dark with anger. High-ranks poured in behind him and the company could hear footsteps of the other high-ranks closing in. Twilight took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and took out her wand. When she opened them again, Star and Toffee could clearly see the fire in them. The desire to live and be free. Twilight`s wand also manifested its blade, surprising everyone in the room. Star`s own eyes started glowing green and a magical aura started forming around her.   
"Where do you think you are going?" Star asked with her dark tone.  
"I am going to the Kingdom of Mewni." Twilight countered back with an equally terrifying voice. 

All Hell broke loose.


	9. Chapter 9

"Twilight, look out!" William screamed as a high-rank raised his sword to Twilight`s back. The young monster reacted quickly, raising her own wand-blade and slicing his sword in half. The soldier stood there, stunned, and Twilight used that opportunity to kick him against the wall, knocking him out. She nodded to William and they started running again. They have been running through the castle, trying to get to the south tower as quickly as possible. After being discovered by Star and Toffee, Max, Morgana and the other helpful soldiers stayed behind to buy the two teens some time. Twilight fought off another soldier with her blade as William knocked another one out with his shield. The girl looked at the direction where they came from and worry filled her eyes. The cyclops noticed her fear about the others and went over to her. "Don`t worry, I`m sure others are doing fine. I bet my eye on it!" William shouted the last part of his sentence as he started running again. Twilight cracked a smile at his words as she ran after him. "You only have one eye!" she shouted back as they readied their weapons for the next wave of soldiers. 

Weapons clashed as Toffee and Max fought in the middle of the grand hall. "How dare you betray us! We gave you shelter, warm meals every day and a decent profession!" Toffee shouted out of rage. Max actually chuckled at that. "You gave me an old wooden house, the same flavorless meals every day and a job where I work all the time and never get paid! Tell me, Master, how is it surprising I turned against you?" the werewolf shouted right back, spitting his title like venom, as they clashed their weapons again. The lizard grew angrier at that. How does this useless mut think he can talk back to him like that?  
Across the room, Star was using her magic to fight Morgana, who used her hidden knives. Star had a hard time hitting the older monster since she was so damn slithery. Morgana threw another set of knives at the blonde woman as she created a force field around herself. After lowering it, she shot back her own blast of magical blasts. "Why are you doing this? We both know how you really feel!" Morgana shouted at Star as she tried to avoid her blasts and spells. "You don`t know anything! You don`t know how I feel, you have no clue what I have gone through!" Star shouted back as she sent another powerful blast at the monster woman. Morgana then noticed the small drops of tears in the younger woman`s eyes. They were almost invisible but they were there. How many years has she played this twisted game? How long has she suffered on her own? Being distracted by her own thoughts, Morgana didn`t notice one of the high-ranks sneak up behind her. Before Morgana could react, the guard stabbed her in the stomach. "Aaaaaahh!" the servant screamed as she felt burning pain in her abandon. Emerald green blood dropped to the stone floor as Morgana fell to her side. Max turned his eyes away from his opponent just in time to see Morgana fall to the floor and the green blood pooling around her. With a feral growl, the werewolf charged Star. But before he could get to her, Toffee used this opportunity to grab Max`s tail and sliced his throat open with no remorse. 

Through the tears and pain, Morgana saw her trusted friend fall to the ground and not get up. She saw the alarming amount of blood come from his neck area. "Max!" Morgana cried even harder as she saw the other soldiers around her stop their fighting and look at the body of their trusted leader. Taking this chance, the high-ranks took their weapons and forced them to their knees. The kneeling soldiers lowered their heads and cried silent tears for their fallen friend and co-worker. Morgana cried even harder and ignoring her wound, tried to crawl to Max. Her whole body screamed in pain and her eyes were red but she was determined to get to her friend. "Come on, you stupid dog. You have to get up, we are counting on you. Maximus, this is not the time to joke around! Please, get up!" Morgana yelled as her mouth filled with blood but before she could reach the body, two high-ranks came and pulled her up by her arms and held her tightly as the woman thrashed and screamed at them.  
Toffee dusted off his shirt as he looked at the sad party on the floor. The soldiers who had helped them were kneeling as high-ranks held their swords to their throats. Morgana was held by three soldiers as she tried to break free. "You all are such idiots. Did you really think you could sneak past us? Exactly what was the whole point of attacking us? You are just some low-rank guards, a useless general and an old snake." Toffee kicked Max`s body when mentioning him and walked to the other traitors. "Answer me, what were you trying to accomplish?" the lizard whispered as he lowered his mouth to Morgana`s ear. The woman only raised her head enough to glare at him through her bangs. Toffee tsiked at that and slapped her across the face and punched her right where she got stabbed. Morgana screamed as she coughed up more blood. "Leave her alone!" one of the soldiers screamed at him. The lizard stood up straight and looked at the soldier who had spoken. When the soldier saw Toffee`s cold stare, he lowered his head and stayed quiet.   
Star saw the whole thing from her spot across the room. Shaking her head, she walked over to them. "I hate to interrupt this charming conversation but aren`t you forgetting something? Or rather, someone?" she asked her partner. Toffee`s eyes suddenly grew wide with panic and realization. "Go find Twilight imidietly and bring her and that young moron here. I will escort this group to the dungeons where they can think what they did for the rest of their lives." Toffee spoke with hurry as the high-ranks started to drag them away. Star saw that the wounded and hurting Morgana was also dragged with the rest of the group. "Wait! I think we should send the snake to the medical wing. Like it or not, she is the Main servant of the castle and my personal maid. I don`t think I would find anyone so talented as she is." Star spoke up at the last minute. Toffee glared at her as the woman glared right back at him. "Fine, do as you wish." Toffee finally gave up and started walking in the direction of the dungeons. 

Twilight pushed the high-rank down the stairs as she and William climbed the last steps to the south tower. Walking into the top room in the tower, the cyclops pushed a loose stone on the wall and an entrance opened up. It was a hidden rope bridge that went all the way down to the forest, over the wall. It wouldn`t be seen from the outside since the bridge was hidden by the stone walls and towers around it. "Just go down here and follow the map over the mountains and through the Forest of Certain Death. It will be a long road but I am confident you can make it." William spoke as he opened another secret passage in the opposite wall. "How do you know about these passages?" Twilight asked as she pulled her hood on and fastened her wand on her belt again. "This castle is old and has a lot of these secret tunnels and passages. I was lucky enough to have the free time to look for them all." William said confidently with pride. His face then softened as he looked at the girl. "Good luck, Twilight. We will meet again one day." he spoke with a soft tone. Twilight couldn`t hold back herself anymore as she rushed over to him and pulled the cyclops into a tight hug. William wrapped his arms around her and hugged back. "I am going to miss you, William." Twilight whispered. "I am going to miss all of you guys." she added as they broke apart. William nodded in understanding as he walked into his own passage. Giving Twilight a last smile, the wall shifted and William was gone.   
Taking a deep breath, Twilight started walking to the bridge. 

It was an old bridge and some of the boards were missing. It didn`t help that a huge snow storm was raging outside. Fastening her coat and satchel, Twilight grabbed the railing tightly and started stepping down the bridge. Just when she had taken a few steps, a flash of light appeared before her and Star appeared.  
Both females locked eyes, one with fear and panic, the other with swimming fog in her eyes. Twilight quickly took out her wand as her mother shot a magical blast at her. Shooting her own blast, Twilight tried to use this distraction to run past Star. Before she made it to the other side, Star grabbed her arm. Twilight tried to pry the grip from her arm but Star was stronger. "Where do you think you`re going?" Star shouted over the roaring wind. "I am getting out of here and far away from you and father!" Twilight shouted back as she used her claws to pry her mother`s hand off. Letting go of her daughter, Star tried to grab her again but Twilight had fallen on her back on the bridge. Before the girl could get up, her mother stepped on her tail with her heel. Twilight let out a shriek of pain as the sharp heel of the shoe dug into her tail. "Where will you go? You have never left the castle grounds and you don`t know anyone in the outside world!" Star shouted with anger. Twilight only glared back at her mother. "I am going to the Kingdom of Mewni! I am going to warn them about your and father`s plans to destroy them!" Star was taken aback by that. She did feel someone`s presence when she was talking to Toffee in the office but she ignored it then, thinking it was a maid or a soldier walking by. Looking back at Twilight, Star shouted again "Why do you want to warn them? They are the enemy, they have murdered, captured and tortured thousands of monsters and you want to help them?" Twilight used all her strength to pull her tail from under the shoe and stood up. When Twilight pulled her tail from under her, Star stumbled back. When she looked up again, she met the burning eyes of her daughter and her glowing crescent moon cheek marks. "I want to help them because you and father have been telling me lies! Lies about their nature and about your nature!" the young girl shouted with anger. Star`s eyes grew wide, fearing the worst. "Why would the Princess of Mewni want to destroy and kill her own kingdom?" Twilight continued as the snow and wind twirled around them. Star forgot to breathe at that moment.   
How did she find out? Panic and many thoughts filled the blonde`s head as she stared at her child. Only, it didn`t look like her child. Her Twilight was quiet, obedient and shy. This alien Twilight is confident, strong and bold. Twilight`s voice brought Star back to earth. "Why, mother? Why do you want to destroy your own people, your own family?" Twilight spoke with a calmer tone. "You wouldn`t understand." Star said quietly. Standing up, she looked at Twilight with cold eyes as she walked towards her. "You wouldn`t understand a thing. You are just a child, too young to know what I had to go through!" Star shouted as her bent up emotions got the better of her. Without realizing, Star caused a giant magical explosion that caused the bridge to split into two. As they both shouted and started falling, Star looked at her daughter. She had tears in her eyes and was scared, unlike the girl she saw on the bridge just moments ago. Without a second thought, Star used her magic to lift Twilight higher and shot her over the castle wall with a blast. Using the rest of her energy, Star teleported herself back into the tower. Standing up on shaking legs, she stared into the snow storm, over the wall and the mountains beyond. 

Twilight screamed as the bast hurt her and flew over the wall. She clutched her wand tightly as she hit the snowy ground and rolled down the hill. She hit many trees before falling into a freezing river. The last thing she remembered before anything went black, was biting cold, burning pain and a faint shout from Glossaryck.


	10. Chapter 10

Toffee pushed the last soldier into his cell and pushed the door closed with a loud metallic bang. Nodding to himself for a job well done, he left rest of this to the guards as he started making his way back upstairs. 

Coming out of the bathroom, Star fastened the belt on her robe as she walked over to her vanity table. She sat down and took her comb out of the drawer to start untying the knots in her hair. The woman looked up and as she was raising her comb to start fixing her hair, she paused. Star looked at herself in the mirror and actually looked at herself after a long time. Raising her free hand, she gently ran her fingers across the broken heart cheek mark. When she took her hand away, Star noticed her hand fingers were wet. She then realized her eyes were full of tears. Star raised her hand again and wiped them away.   
Star started brushing her long hair, thinking about what happened earlier. Twilight escaped the castle thanks to her. She had intended to bring her back but instead, she used her magic to help her over the wall. What was she thinking? They needed Twilight, her power. She was the key player in their operation and thanks to her they don`t have her anymore. Star looked at herself in the mirror again. She never noticed just how alike she and her daughter are, in appearance anyway. Star placed her brush on the table and just looked into the mirror.

She is a grown woman, a cold mother, a powerful magic wielder and the partner of her mortal enemy. How did she end up like this? Now that was a stupid question, she knows exactly how she ended up here. She has only told one other living soul in this castle her reason for leaving. And that soul is in the infirmary, recovering from getting stabbed.   
Star thinks about the past as little as she can but when she does think about it, she just wants to curl up and cry while someone holds her. It doesn`t matter who, just as long as they comfort her. Star remembers being in a similar state a while back. Then, she was sobbing after losing a fight to one of the more bigger monsters and in her weakened state, started to recall her past. That was how Toffee found her, sobbing, and he was the one to hold her back then. Remembering it now, she should have pushed him away. That stupid lizard does everything for himself and that time was no different.   
Hugging herself, Star`s painful memories started to cloud her mind, making her recall everything that happened. Before everything went so terribly into Hell.

It all started three months before she was crowned the next Queen of Mewni.

"This is why I hate you all Butterflies. You are all so strong. I will love breaking you..."

First, Star got kidnapped. It was some old, mad sorceress who carried a grudge against the Butterfly family. She tortured Star for weeks with no food and little water, barely enough to keep her alive. She still had the scars from those few weeks, hiding them under her long gloves and socks. 

"I`m gonna be al` right, Bfly! Just wait and see, I gonna make to that coronation!" 

It wasn`t long after she was rescued that Ponyhead fell ill. She kept saying it will blow over but her condition only got worse. She apparently ate some poisoned berries by accident. Star doesn`t know where Ponyhead is right now. She can only hope her best friend is somewhere she is happy.

"Oh Star, I can`t believe it. I am a dad! I `m the luckiest man on Earth! But Jackie..."

Then Marco`s son was born, prematurely. Two months early in fact and Jackie had been struggling with her health at the moment. They had two options, save Jackie or save the child. And everyone knew Jackie is too selfless to let them take her child. Star did everything back then to help her best friend on Earth and always put on a brave face. But once she was alone, she cried and grieved her lost friend like there was no tomorrow. 

"We can`t keep this up! We need to shut it down!"

Star`s plans to unite mewmians and monsters weren`t going so well. The people were scared of the new citizens and the monsters weren`t willing to learn to respect their new leaders, even Bufffrog. Chaos and uneasiness covered the kingdom like a thick fog. 

Things only got worse from there...

"I am sorry your Highness, but I`m afraid I have some bad news..."

Star remembers the best thing during those hard weeks was her fiancee, Oscar. He was supportive, helpful and spent every minute he could with her, even when he was supposed to be having lessons with her father about being king. But she loved him, he loved her and it wasn`t soon when they found out they had a little bundle of joy to expect in a few months. the princess loved that child with all her life and couldn`t wait until to hold him in her arms. But despite that Star never lost her sense of adventure.   
And that was what cost her to lose her only ray of light during that time. Her own recklessness caused so much pain to her and her beloved. 

And finally, after everything, her coronation arrived. Everything was set. Her dress flawless, her friends and family all supporting her all the way and her fiancee running his final errands before coming and stepping through those doors to become her king. But Fate wasn`t done tormenting her. 

"Princess Star! Come quickly, it is Oscar! He got into some trouble on the way here!" 

Star still remembers the pain she felt when hearing that. And after seeing just a glimpse of him, she ran. She didn`t think just ran. Away from her enemies, her demons, these horrible three months, her nightmare of a coronation.   
Her nightmare of a life...

Star suddenly snapped out of her memories when the door to her bedroom opened with a loud creak. Toffee stepped into the room and paused when he saw the heavy tears in his partner`s eyes. "Oh no. Don`t tell me you thought about the past again." he said in a mocking tone. The blonde woman glared at him through her tears as she stood up and straightened her back to face him. She once showed him that she still had weaknesses. Not making the same mistake twice.   
Toffee just rolled his eyes as he walked over to Star. "So, how was your evening? A little bat whispered to me that not so well as mine had gone." the lizard stated. "Yes, Twilight escaped the castle. But she has never been outside its walls. And that is a pretty impressive storm outside, she will be dead by morning." Star said back with her usual cold tone. She turned her back to him as she walked to the window, staring into the white. She was so focused on her thoughts she didn`t notice her partner sneak up behind her. She noticed too late as he already wrapped his arms around her, one holding her chest and the other around her hips. "What do you think you are doing? Unhand me this instant!" Star shouted with a small note of panic but all she received was a chuckle against the skin of her neck. The warm breath sent shivers down her spine. "Don`t be so stubborn. Why won't we have some fun?" Toffee said back as he placed a small kiss on her skin. Star squirmed and struggled but he had always been physically stronger than her. "Oh, loosen up. Remember? We did this last time I found you like this and it worked out alright, even better than we expected." Toffee spoke with a seductive tone as he licked just below her throat. 

That was the last straw. Using her magic, Star broke free of his hold and punched him right in the face. Toffee stumbled back and to the floor from the sudden movement and force from her punch. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked at the woman above him. Her cheeks were slightly red as she glared at him. If only looks could kill...  
"Don`t EVER do that again. It was only one time and I have been regretting it ever since. If you try anything like this again, I will not hesitate to kill you a second time. Remember why you are here in the first place, lizard." the woman said as she teleported Toffee into the hallway. Star rushed over to the door and locked it before he can walk back in. Sliding to the floor, Star looked out the window again. 

She knew Twilight wouldn`t die that easily. She just hopes her daughter is alright. Playing this game is wearing Star thin and she doesn't know how long she can keep it up anymore. 

I am sorry Twilight, please forgive me for being a bad mother.  
And please... Save me...


	11. Chapter 11

"How many times do I have to tell you? I am the older brother, so I get to carry the bread!" Ludo shouted out of annoyance at his brother. Dennis shrugged his shoulders as he adjusted the firewood in his hands. "I`m sorry brother. My hands are just starting to tire carrying all this wood." the taller bird monster said. "But do you remember the last time you sent me to get the firewood?" Ludo asked as he pushed a branch out of Dennis` way. The younger brother`s cheeks glowed a light pink when he recalled the last time Ludo was sent to get the wood. He ended up looking for him in the forest and found him under a pile of branches and snow.   
"Look, the house is not that far away and when we get back, I am going to make you some hot chocolate." Ludo said with a small smirk on his face as His brother`s eyes lit up with excitement.   
  
Walking further into the forest, the sound of the rushing river reached the two monster siblings` ears. Through the trees, the brothers saw the rushing river as the approached the only bridge crossing the river. Stepping on the wooden bridge, Dennis looked to his right to look at the freezing water, ice and branches being carried away by the stream. There was a fallen tree trunk across the river where bigger pieces of ice and bigger branches were stuck. But there was something else stuck there today.  
Dennis tried to get a better look at the wet mass hanging on the trunk. It was covered with dark purple hair and looked like a mass of mud. Putting the bundle of wood down to the ground Dennis raised his wings and flew to the fallen trunk. "Dennis, what are you doing?" Ludo shouted as he pulled himself on to the railing to get a better look at what couth his younger brother`s attention.   
  
Dennis carefully stepped onto the trunk and raised his arms to remain balance and started taking slow steps towards the mass. The trunk was slippery and very unstable, making cracking and creaking noises every time the monster took a step. Finally reaching his destination, Dennis slowly reached down and tried to reach the mass of hair.   
"Dennis, look out!" Ludo shouted from the bridge. Dennis looked up and saw another tree trunk rushing towards them fast. Taking a leap of faith, the bird monster grabbed the mass with his claws and flew to the shoreline just in a nack of time as the rushing trunk collided into the horizontal trunk and snapped it into two.   
  
"What were you thinking? You could have gotten seriously hurt!" Ludo shouted angrily as he came running to his brother. "I guess doing reckless things runs in the family, big bro." Dennis said with a sheepish smile. His brother just looked at him, clearly pissed, but Dennis knew the shorter monster was trying to hide his worry behind anger.  
Ludo finally gave up trying to be angry as his face softened and walked over to his younger brother. "Well, let's see if this thing was worth the risk." Ludo said as he reached out and pushed the long, wet hair out of his way. Both brothers gasped as the last strand was taken out of the way and they clearly saw what, or rather, who was under the mass.  
  
It was a monster girl. She looked like she was in her teens. Besides her long and dark hair, she had light blue skin and a reptilian tail. She wore simple boots, a shredded and dirty dress and a damaged black cloak, which was held by a light purple butterfly pendant. The monster girl also had a satchel over her shoulder. There were bruises and scratches all over her body and her body temperature was alarmingly low. "We have to get her to the house! She is freezing!" Dennis shouted out of panic. "Hold on a minute, you want a stranger out of a river into our house?" Ludo asked as Dennis was already standing up and rushing towards the bridge.   
"Oh, right. I forgot who I was talking to." Ludo muttered under his breath as he ran after his brother. Dennis tried to pick up as much wood as he could while balancing the unconscious girl on his other arm. Ludo just rolled his eyes as he walked behind his panicking brother and they made their way back to the house.  
  
Groaning, Twilight tried to open his eyes but they were heavy with sleep. She doesn`t remember her bed being this stiff and her pillow being so... not fluffy. Slowly fluttering her eyes open, the first thing she saw was the soft orange glow of a fire. The second thing she noticed was the wooden ceiling. This was definitely not her room. Carefully trying to sit up, Twilight only got on her elbows before a hard headache forced her back down with a groan. She swallowed a little, trying to ease her burning throat. Slowly turning her head, Twilight looked to her left and a fire heart in an alien living room. Suddenly she heard some clicking of glasses and... ruffling feathers? A blurry figure entered her field of vision. It was grayish green and was wearing a simple brown sweater.   
"Good morning. Are you feeling better?" the figure asked as he turned around and Twilight could make out his face. The monster was a bird monster with his green beak and completely yellow eyes. Twilight also noted that the monster was tall but young, maybe William`s age or even older. Dennis looked the young monster, making mental notes about her condition.   
  
She was sweaty but she was shivering all over, showing she had a fever. Her eyes were red and unfocused and she seemed to be in some sort of pain. Her desperate breaths were also alarming. Dennis took the wet towel from the tray he had been carrying and placed it on her burning forehead.   
Twilight didn`t protest when the stranger placed the fabric on her head as she didn`t have the energy. "Do you need anything?" the bird monster asked as he kneeled next to her bed. Twilight opened her mouth but no sound came out as her throat was too dry. Taking a deep breath and swallowing the little spit she had in her mouth, Twilight tried again. "...Water..." The word came out as the smallest of whispers but Dennis understood it clearly. He turned around and grabbed a glass and a pitcher of water from the tray. The bird filled the glass and helped Twilight to sit up. Dennis grabbed the pillow from the bed and placed it against the headboard as Twilight sat up against it. Dennis wrapped her in the blanket before taking the water glass and holding it to her lips.   
  
Slowly but surely, Twilight finished the glass and felt a lot better as her dry throat got some relief. They sat in silence for a while as the fire cracked in front of them. "My name is Dennis. What is-" Dennis fell quiet as he looked at the girl and found her asleep, sitting. The older monster just shook his head and laid her down on the bed. Giving her sleeping face a final look and replacing the towel, Dennis got up to prepare a meal before his brother got home.   
  
A few minutes later, the front door opened to reveal a snow-covered Ludo. He was muttering curses under his breath as he placed down the branches he had been carrying. "How was your trip, brother?" Dennis asked as he rushed over to the older monster and took his soaked coat. "It was terrible! Those annoying scouts from the castle rushed by me today and they just left me in a pile of snow as if I wasn`t even there!" Ludo shouted in his whiny voice as he sat down on the armchair next to the fire.   
"Wait here, I will get your food. We are having chicken soup!" his younger brother shouted as he went to the kitchen. Ludo`s eyes lit up at the mention of his favorite meal.   
  
Dennis reentered the room and handed his older sibling the warm bowl and sat down on the bed where Twilight slept. "How is our houseguest?" Ludo asked with his mouth full. Dennis looked at the sleeping girl`s face as he answered his brother. "I got her fever down and she woke up for a moment to drink some water but fell back asleep." Ludo nodded as he looked at the girl himself. In some ways, she looked familiar but he couldn't understand how he knew her. Maybe she reminded him of someone? But if that is the case, who? "I didn`t get her name though." Ludo was snapped out of his thoughts when Dennis spoke again. "Shame. I, for one, would like to know who is sleeping in our house and has my dear baby brother look over her." Ludo spoke with a shrug as he went back to his soup.   
Dennis just shook his head at his older brother as he stood up. "I am going to call it a day. Please remember to take your bowl to the kitchen when you are done. Good night, big brother." Dennis spoke as he went upstairs.  
  
Ludo just nodded without stopping his eating.   
  
An hour passed. Ludo was still in his chair and just looking into the fire while twirling a strand of hair from his beard. It had been years since his family`s castle was restored and they could move back in there. But Ludo had been disowned and was forced to live in the house his family lived in all those years. But Dennis, strangely, stayed behind with him. He never understood his brother`s loyalty to him but he wasn`t ungrateful. Despite his uncaring and oblivious nature, he still cared for his baby brother.   
  
Speaking of caring, Ludo looked at the sleeping girl in their spare bed. Why did Dennis want to care for her? She was just a monster they found in the river. Jumping down from his seat, he walked over to the bed to take a closer look at her. She was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He knows he has never met this young monster but there is something about her that rings some bells in his head.  
Her hair was long, dark and messy. Dennis had tried to fix it as much as possible but it was still messy. Her skin was gray-blue but soft, like human skin rather than like the rough skin monsters had. He hasn`t seen her eye color but her face shape was familiar like he has seen it somewhere before.  
  
Ludo raised his hand to push back some strands from her face to get a clearer picture. Once he had a better view of her face, he saw them. Her cheek marks. They were dark purple crescent moons pointing left. Ludo took a step back as he let out a quiet gasp. Those were the Butterfly family cheek marks. Ludo quickly looked over to the corner where Dennis placed her stuff. Ludo rushed over to her bag and started roaming through it. And that was when he found it.   
  
The Butterfly family wand.   
  
The item he had spent years hunting down and one of the most powerful relics in all of the dimensions. The monster made a small gulp as he picked it up and examined it. He had never seen the wand take this form and seemed to reflect the young monster behind him.   
  
"Interesting..."    


	12. Chapter 12

The first thing Twilight felt when she opened her eyes was the warmth of the fire. She looked at her surroundings and started to panic but then remembered that someone had saved her. But she needed to know who and why they saved her. The girl slowly rose into a sitting position as she took in the room. It was mostly worn out and old but cozy thanks to the fire heart in the middle of the room and all the different pillows and couches around the room with shelves and small windows on the walls. Twilight located her stuff in a pile across the room. The girl quickly jumped off the bed to get to her stuff. But her legs and tail got tangled in the blanket and she fell nose first into the floor.   
Kicking the offending fabric away with her legs, Twilight rushed to her bag and started roaming through it. Most of her belongings were either wet or completely destroyed by the water. "Where is it?" the monster whispered to herself as she turned both the satchel and her ruined dress inside out. But it wasn`t anywhere. Panic started to take hold of her as Twilight raised her hands to her head and grabbed her long tresses, gripping them with her powerful, monster strength.    
  
"Are you looking for this?" came a groggy voice behind her. Twilight turned around ina whiplash to meet the owner of the voice. He was a very short bird monster like the one Twilight remembered from the few memories she has of the last few hours. But his feathers were more greyish green and his beak was also dull compared to the green of the other bird monster. He also had a long beard that was braided and was wearing a brown robe.   
But what got her attention was the item in his hand. Her wand. Twilight jumped to her feet and rushed over to the armchair the monster was sitting on but the bird moved his hand out of reach and pointed his finger at her. "Now, now. We don`t want to be rude to our savior and host now would we?" the monster said with a grin. "No, we wouldn't." Twilight said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I`m Ludo, the master of this house." Ludo said as he pointed to the chair behind Twilight. The girl sat down with caution as she kept her eyes on Ludo.  
  
"Why do you have this?" Ludo asked as he inspected the wand, turning it around and running his finger across the side with a bored expression. "Why do I have to tell you? It is my wand and it doesn`t matter to you where I got it from." Twilight countered back. She crossed her hands over her chest out of frustration but also to hide that she was still shivering.   
Ludo didn`t look up from the wand and continued his interrogation. "Why do you have those cheek marks?" That question made panic rise in Twilight`s stomach. What does he know about those cheek marks? Does he know about the Butterfly family? But then she remembered something Glossaryck told her: The cheek marks are the universal sign of female royalty of Mewni. Twilight took a deep breath and spilled the truth. "I was born with them. I inherited them from my mother." she said with a straight face. The other monster was taken aback and dropped the wand to the floor out of shock. He slowly turned to face the girl and met bored gold-blue eyes. "What is your name?" Ludo asked with a small voice, his eyes as big as dinner plates.   
  
"My name is Twilight Butterfly. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ludo." the girl answered as she finally broke a small smirk at Ludo`s widening eyes and his mouth hanging open. Twilight always has liked surprising others, usually with her skills but just being with a surprising heritage was a pretty fun thing! "Y-your name is B-Butterfly..." Ludo trailed off as he looked her over. She did have the signature long hair and the cheek marks but who was her mother? Wait. That shade of blue in her eyes and that face shape... Before she could blink, Ludo had grabbed the front of Twilight`s shirt and was holding a small dagger to her neck. "How? She left years ago." Ludo spoke with a glare that could freeze an ocean. "She left the territory, not the dimension." Twilight answered with her own glare.   
"Brother, how is our guest..." Dennis stepped into the room but stopped in his tracks as he saw the two glaring at each other. He felt the tension in the room when the two pairs of eyes landed on him. "Big bro, can you explain to me what is going on?" the tall bird asked with a small voice as he felt himself shrinking under their shared gazes.   
  
A few hours later, everyone was sitting around the heart, sipping drinks as the two brothers tried to wrap their heads around what Twilight just told them. "So, your mother is Star Butterfly and your father Toffee?" Dennis asked. Twilight nodded.  
"You fled your home?"  
Nod  
"You are on your way to the Kingdom of Mewni to warn them or something like that?"  
Another nod.  
The group was quiet again for a few minutes. Ludo suddenly stood up and walked over to Twilight. Said monster looked up to meet his old, worn out eyes. "Can you show me a spell?" Twilight was taken aback with his childlike curiosity and excitement in his eyes. "Sure, of course." she answered with a small smile as she took her wand. Without speaking a word, the wand lit up and small sparkling butterflies started coming from the wand and floated around the room. Ludo looked at the colorful and glowing creatures with wonder as Dennis also looked at the butterflies with admiration. Twilight just smiled at the spell as one of the butterflies landed on her nose. She remembered her mother casting this spell when she was younger and couldn`t sleep. The beautiful creatures always calmed her down.  
  
When the butterflies dissolved into sparkles and finally disappeared, Dennis turned to Twilight. "What are you going to do when you get to the capital? Your cheek marks give away that you are not a normal monster." Twilight came out of her thoughts and turned to him. "I know. I will conceal my marks with some paint or make-up and go to the castle as a traveler from the north and tell them that danger is lurking in behind the mountains." she said with a determined tone. She had to do this or innocent blood will be spilled by a twisted lizard and a damaged princess.   
"But how do we know you are not lying?" Twilight and Dennis turned to Ludo, who had been quiet until now. "How do we know you are not lying? What if you are just a spy? I can`t deny your heritage but I can suspect your intentions and motives." Ludo spoke with a dangerously calm tone.   
  
"Then, how can I prove myself to you?" Twilight asked. Both brothers were surprised, to say the least. they expected her to plead her case but apparently, she wants to prove by action. "Why do you want to prove yourself? It would be just easier to lie or something." Ludo said as he rolled his eyes. "I know my parents are dangerous and they have raised me to be a weapon but I am my own person. I want to show that I can be trusted." There was no hesitation in her eyes and no cracks in her voice.   
  
"Ugh, my head hurts. I get it, you are bold and honest. I`m going asleep. Good night!" and with that Ludo left the room. Twilight could only be surprised as she stared at the closed door the short monster had banged closed. "Sorry about him. My brother gets easily bored with heroic people." Dennis spoke with a sheepish smile. Twilight lightly blushed and looked down at her lap. "I am no hero. I just want to make things right." She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. "Risking your life to come down from the north and warn a nation, that you believed to be the enemy for the longest time, to spare thousands of lives is a pretty heroic thing to do. If that is not something a hero does in your mind, I don`t know what is." Dennis said as he patted her back. The girl broke a smile as she looked at the fire. "Well, if you put it like that, it kinda does sound like something a hero would do."   
  
She didn`t know what to think anymore. At first, Twilight just wanted to prevent a war. But now she is starting to comprehend the details. She is saving an unknown kingdom. A kingdom that is part of her blood. That thought brought another question to her mind. How is she going to warn them? This is too big of a deal to just give a guard and hope it reaches the king and queen. But going in person means she will have to face the royals, her grandparents. It was such an alien concept to Twilight. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagen that the king and queen of Mewni are her grandparents. Are they going to see through her and figure out who and what she is? Or will they think that she made the story up and kick her out of the castle? Now she is getting a headache. Maybe she should follow Ludo`s example and get some sleep.   
  
"Dennis, thank you for everything. But if you don`t mind, I would like to go to bed." Twilight finally turned to her companion and smiled at him with gratitude. Dennis smiled in return and nodded, standing up himself. "You are very welcome. Good night, Twilight." Twilight watched him leave and when he disappeared from her sight, she fell down onto the bed and groaned in pain. Her head and ribs were on fire. Curse her mother and that painful blast!  
  
In the morning, Dennis applied some ointment to her wounds and made breakfast. "I got it!" Ludo suddenly burst into the room with a smile that screamed `I murdered someone and got away with it!`. "What did you get?" Dennis asked as he placed the plate with breakfast in front of Twilight at the table. "I know how she could prove herself!" Ludo exclaimed as he jumped onto the table and throwing his hands wide like he just became the king of the world. Twilight swallowed her food before asking "What do I have to do?" "I`m glad you asked. You have to retrieve something for me. From the Castle of Avarius." Dennis spat out his tea as he looked at his brother with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "Bro, you are asking her to rob our family`s home?!" he shouted as he grabbed Ludo`s shoulders and shook him back and forth. Even Twilight had to raise an eyebrow at that. "Now let me explain. I`m not asking her to rob them per say, just to bring me something I forgot there when they kicked me out." Ludo said with a childlike smile.   
Before Dennis could shout at him again, Twilight spoke up. "I will do it. What do I have to get?" Dennis paled at her words while ludo did a little happy dance on the table. "It`s nothing big, just a box of my belongings." Ludo said. Twilight nodded and stood up. "I am going to find some suitable clothes. Be right back." and she left the room.  
  
"I don`t know what you are thinking brother but I honestly thought you believed-" "Of course I believe her." The short monster cuts his brother off. "Then why are you sending her to our family`s castle?" Dennis asked as Ludo sat down on his chair, which was higher than the other chairs at the table. "Consider this making her due. We took care of her and let her stay the night, now it is her time to do something for us." Dennis stared at his brother for a while before shaking his head and turning back to the oven. "You never change, brother." Ludo just smirked at the taller bird`s back.  
  
"But you know you love me."                      
       


	13. Chapter 13

The market was packed. Even in the winter, the market of the monster village is full of life and colorful. The stalls were all decorated with ribbons and pearls, making each tent and stall look more different than the last. The air was full of different aromas of baked goods, drinks, spices, meats and smoked fish. Different types of monsters were walking around and going around their day, merchants selling their wares and goods, children laughing and running around as their parents talked with their friends while shopping. It was a lot to take in.    
"Are you okay?" Dennis placed a hand on Twilight`s shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked up at the tall Avarian and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I`m just a little overwhelmed. I have never seen so many monsters in one place." Twilight said as she looked at all the different shops and customers. "I can only imagine." Dennis muttered as he followed her into the crowd.   
  
"Are you to done?!" Ludo shouted from one of the tents, tapping his boot on the snow like an annoyed mother. Both rolled their eyes as they walk into the tent. It was a vegetable tent, sporting all sorts of crops. Ludo and Dennis started looking for the vegetables they need but Twilight was twirling around and looking at the shop in awe. Being someone who has never visited a shop, Twilight was fascinated with all different products and how the tent looks like something from a storybook, decorated with different fabrics.   
Ludo was getting bored with his brother and turned his attention to their companion and was met with a surprising sight.  
  
Twilight was looking around in wonder, maybe even more than Dennis. "What got you all happy? It is just another vegetable stall." Ludo was getting creeped out by Twilight`s curiosity. When their eyes met, the girl blushed hard and turned her gaze to the ground while pulling her hood even more over her eyes. "I apologize. I have never been at a market and in a shop." Twilight muttered into her scarf, peeking from behind the fabric. "Wait, you have never been in a shop or a simple market?" The Avarian was shocked. Even years ago, when Ludo and his family lived in their castle, Ludo still had to go shopping with his siblings and during his wild days, he still participated in trading with traveling merchants.   
"I guess it is pretty silly that I get amazed by a simple tent but I can`t help it. When you live in a closed-off castle all your life with only a few servants and empty halls, you grow to appreciate the small things because they may be gone by the next morning." Twilight spoke with a calm voice as she looked at the lined up pumpkins next to her. "You lived in a basically empty castle for fourteen years?" Ludo walked next to her as he looked at the orange vegetable. "Why are you so smart?" he asked back. "I don`t know. I guess it is because I like to read." the Butterfly answered back. They both fell into a comfortable silence. Suddenly, Ludo started giggling to himself. Twilight raised her eyebrow and bowed down, bringing her eyes to his level and saw it. The leaves and vines from two pumpkins formed together to create a small image of a man slipping on a banana peel.   
  
Dennis thanked the farmer and turned to his companions but found them giggling like idiots in the middle of the shop. "What got into you two?" Twilight and Ludo only started out loud laughing and walked out of the tent like two drunk friends. Dennis turned his attention back to the shocked farmer behind the counter. He quickly apologized for their behavior and left right after them.   
  
Walking down the street, Ludo and Twilight calmed down as the trio made their way to the next stall. The younger Avarian brother kept a close eye on his brother who kicked snow in his every step but an even closer eye on Twilight. She was walking in front of them and looking around with a small smile on her face. She looked calm and curious but Dennis knew she has never been outside or at a public place like this. He had to chuckle at the memory of her shaking and panicking this morning before they came here. But she was handling this extremely well, considering her limited experience with other monsters.   
Their next stall was a fabric stall. The stall was decorated with bright colors and shiny hanging gems. The owner of the stall was an elderly gnome woman. She was sitting on a tall chair and dressed in bright scarves and round glasses. "Good day, Fiona." Dennis greeted the older woman. "Oh, Dennis! It is so good to see you! Have you come to buy new materials or are you here for a chat?" Fiona had a cheerful, energized voice, despite her age. "Not today. I`m here for some materials and some new fur." Dennis answered with a smile as he looked at her different fabrics and sewing equipment.  
  
Twilight saw Dennis at the fabric counter and Ludo had wandered off somewhere. Walking closer to Dennis, she looked at all the different colors and patterns. "Oh, my! What a beautiful cloak you have, dear!" Fiona shouted with excitement as she looked at the young monster with sparkling eyes. Twilight took an alarming step back as she looked at the merchant with wide, shocked eyes. But her cloak was indeed impressive. It was made from dark velvet with a blue underside to keep the owner warm. It also had soft, white fur sown on to the edges and it was held together by Twilight`s pendant. "You like it? I just finished it last night." Dennis spoke up as he looked at the older and younger female.   
"It is very well made. Good job my dear!" the goblin praised Dennis as he scratched the back of his head. "Are you his friend? I have never seen you around before." Fiona turned back to Twilight. The girl opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say. She has met a handful of new monsters in her life but usually, she remained silent while her parents did the talking. "She is a friend who is visiting me and Ludo. Her name is Twilight." Twilight looked at Dennis who gave her a reassuring smile. "What a lovely name! My name is Fiona. It is a pleasure to meet you." the kind woman spoke with a smile. The Butterfly finally found her voice and smiled back sheepishly. "Likewise. It is a pleasure to meet you, Fiona." The older woman couldn`t contain herself and let out a childish squeal. "Oh, what manners! You don`t see many young ones with such poise and elegance these days." the goblin praised the teen. If Twilight wasn`t blushing before, she certainly was now.  
  
"Don`t mind her. She is always this cheerful and happy." Dennis spoke up as he looked at the different fabrics. "I don`t mind at all. I just..." Twilight didn`t know how to finish that sentence. She has never met someone who had that much energy? Or is it Fiona`s kind words and bright smile that is throwing her off. "Dennis, I am going to walk around a little. Youcan come look for me at any time." Twilight only received a nod from her tall companion. Shaking her head, the girl turned away from the counter and walked into the busy crowd.  
  
It was all scary but also so exciting and new. Twilight looked at the different monsters at the market. They were all just going about their business, smiling and greeting each other as they passed. A couple of young monsters ran past her, laughing and playing with snowballs. Twilight felt a twinge of hurt in her stomach. Is that what a normal childhood looks like? Carefree and happy? She can only remember training, lessons and very little time for herself in that cursed castle. But it wasn`t that bad. Twilight`s lips quirked a little as she remembered her friends from the staff and army: William, Max, Morgana and all the other servants and soldiers who were kind and helpful to her. What are they doing now? Did Morgana, Max and others who helped her get away or were they caught? Did they receive a painful punishment or did they got away with a warning? Did anyone get hurt? Or worse...  
  
Twilight groaned as she felt a headache starting to bloom behind her eyes. She really hates her over-thinking brain sometimes. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Twilight made her way to the edge of the marketplace and stood in front of a frozen lake that the market surrounded. There were many monsters ice-skating on the frozen water, having fun and not knowing about the danger that lurks behind the mountains. It hit her just then. All of these lives were counting on her getting to the Butterfly castle and warning the king and queen. Thinking about the masses was one thing but actually seeing all the different souls living in these lands really made Twilight realize how huge all of this is. She groaned again. None of this was helping soothe the pain in her head. Then again, she has had headaches very often for as long as she can remember. Sometimes they happened out of the blue or even while she was sleeping. The medic back at the castle told her once she just has sensitive nerves in her head and brain, making headaches and even migraines happen often for her.   
  
Twilight wanted to rub her cheeks to ease the pain but remembered the paint on them and restrained herself. Ludo mixed some easy paint to hide her marks. It felt kind of weird at first having the cold paste on her face but she was used to it by now.   
"Look out!" came a sudden shout from behind her. When Twilight turned around, she was met with a snowball to the face. When she wiped it off she noticed the blue in the snow. Her paint came off. And the same kids who ran past her before were coming her way. Thinking quickly, Twilight pulled her scarf higher up, only shoving her blue and golden eyes. "We are really sorry about that. We kinda got carried away." the young girl in front of the group spoke. She was short, only reaching Twilight`s waist. She had brown hair with red tips tied into a small ponytail on top of her head. She also had two small yellow and orange horns, pointy ears and orange eyes. She was wearing a light pink coat. Curiously, she looked almost mewman with her human skin and dull teeth. The other kids behind her were frog type monsters, all wearing a different color of the same outfit. "Miss?" Twilight was pulled out of her musings when the girl spoke to her again. "It is okay, really. It was just an accident." she assured the kids. "Okay, sorry again. Bye!" The kids left, laughing and jumping around as they continued their game.   
  
A while later, Dennis and Ludo found Twilight sitting on a rock near the lake, looking up at the clouds. "Hey, we are ready. Let`s go home." Twilight turned to the Avarian brothers and nodded, jumping down from her seat and walking out of the market with them.   
At the entrance of the forest, Dennis suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Twilight, close your eyes." The girl raised an eyebrow at that. If he plans on attacking her, he is outmatched. Her wand may be back at the house but she has trained her entire life both in long-range and close courters combat. But the attack never came. Twilight felt how Dennis pulled down her hood and scarf. He fumbled a little bit with her hair as he tied something in it. "Okay, you can open them." She opened her eyes and Ludo handed her a small mirror from his pocket. Twilight took it and saw a little surprise in her hair. Dennis had taken a small section of it on her side and tied it up with a shiny blue ribbon with a pure white skull in the middle. It may look a little out of place to someone but it looked perfect on her.   
  
"The skull is made out of moonstone and the ribbon reminded me of your eyes. So I decided to give you a small lucky charm as a gift." Dennis explained as he started walking again. "I like it but why? You have been taking care of me for the past week and helping me heal. Why this sudden gift?" Twilight was confused. Shouldn`t it be her making gifts for them for allowing her to stay at their home, giving her shelter, warm food and helping her heal? "It was actually Ludo`s idea. He spotted the ribbon with the skull at one of the jewelry stands and asked me to buy it for you. It his way of showing he cares and it is also an apology for sending you to our family`s castle." Dennis spoke with a wide smirk on his face, showing his sharp but yellow teeth. "Hey!" Ludo shouted at him, kicking snow at his brother`s feet.   
"Curse you and your height!"  
  
Hekapoo was standing at the gates of the Butterfly castle. Finally, a portal opened up and Ember stepped out, shaking snow from her head and laughing silently to herself. "Did you have fun spending the day with Bufffrog`s grandchildren?" her mother asked Ember as they walked up the stairs to the entrance.   
"Yes! We had so much fun playing at the market today! I even met someone with blue and golden eyes!"  
   
      
        
             
  
          


	14. Chapter 14

_Get the box and get out, get the box and get out, get the box and get out, get the box and get out...  
_  
This sentence has been running through Twilight`s head for the past few hours as she climbed the cliff. Suddenly she was pulled from her thoughts as her foot slipped. The young monster let out a quick yelp and grabbed on to the next rock to stop herself from falling. Letting out a small sigh, Twilight regained her footing and continued climbing.   
Twilight has been climbing the cliff for about a half an hour. The wind was strong and snow flew around the girl. Her dark cape flowed around her as she clenched her teeth against the cold, her hood being blown off her head long ago. Her limbs were getting tired and her throat was running dry. Despite it being a week since she met the Avarian brothers, she was still a little sore from the wounds she received during her escape. And now she was climbing a cliff to break into another castle while she just escaped from one. Life sure works in fascinating ways.   
  
But at the moment, Twilight noticed that the ledge was getting closer. Twilight let out a small cheer and pushed herself to climb the final way up. She grabbed the ground and pulled herself up, flopping down on her back and taking deep breaths. Finally! Twilight sat up and untied the water cantine from her belt and drank down large gulps to satisfy her thirst. Twilight wondered for a second why Dennis couldn't come but then remembered that he and Ludo were taking care of something in the monster village.   
Twilight tied her water back on to her belt and took out her wand. Just last night, Ludo had told his story about his history with the wand and her mother. Twilight was honestly surprised that Ludo considered Star his frienemy despite the countless times he got his butt kicked. But it was also interesting to hear about her mother from another perspective. Ludo`s version of her is much crazier and go-lucky than Glossaryck`s, who described young Star as a blonde ditzy princess with swords. The girl had to giggle a little at their different yet similar opinions.    
  
Getting back to the task at hand, Twilight stood up and looked at the castle in front of her. It was certainly big but not as huge as the one she lived in. The first thing Twilight noticed was the lack of guards or servants. Maybe they were all inside? Or did they not work outside of the wall. The Butterfly pulled her hood up again as she started walking towards the building. The ground was covered in thick snow, making walking a little hard. Twilight was grateful her boots were tall since the snow couldn`t get in. And her cloak was warm enough to keep the biting wind at bay.     
  
Finally reaching the outer wall of the castle, Twilight took out her wand and drew a rectangle shaped area on the bricks and walked through the wall. She quickly ducked behind a bush but when she took a look around, there wasn`t a guard in sight.  _Where are the guards? Do they don`t have any?_ Twilight thought as she quickly ran from the wall to the front doors of the castle.   
The young monster raised her hand to push the door open, only to hesitate for a moment. Is this right? But Dennis and Ludo have helped her so much. They gave her food, shelter, new clothes and treated her wounds. Shaking her from the clouds of doubt, Twilight took hold of the handle and pushed the door open.   
  
To her luck, the hallways had many pillars that were very close to each other, creating a perfect scouting route for Twilight. She ducked from pillar to pillar, trying to locate a place the Avarian family would put Ludo`s belongings. It was obvious that they wouldn`t put it somewhere nice. Maybe a broom closet. Or the attic? Twilight was too deep in her thoughts that she didn`t notice two voices coming down the hall.   
"I honestly can`t thank you enough for coming. We have been having this problem for months!" Shouted a grainy woman`s voice. "I will admit, you did contact us at an odd time but I will see what I can do to help." The other was also a woman but she had a much softer tone and with a dignified accent, similar to Twilight`s own speaking intellect. The monster girl quickly used her claws to climb up the old pillar to the supports under the ceiling.   
  
When she looked down, she saw two women with crowns walking by, one an Avarian. The other was mewman. The Avarian wore a dark purple dress with long sleeves and a worn out crown. But the mewman wore a light blue gown with a warm cloak and a golden crown on her nearly white-blue hair. But that wasn`t the thing that couth Twilight`s attention. The mewman royalty had two diamonds on her cheeks, similar to Twilight`s crescent moons. This was Moon Butterfly! The current queen of Mewni!   
  
Twilight felt panic taking over her as she placed her hand on her racing heart. She also felt a familiar pain start to bloom between her temples. This was not good. The young girl tried to steady her heart but the two queens decided to stop walking and continued to stand in the hallway, discussing, what seemed to be, an issue regarding the snow and the poor quality of the castle. Twilight tried to climb further back, trying really hard not to make any noise which proved to be hard since the wood squeaked with every slight movement.   
She was almost in the clear and was about to climb into the air shaft to make her escape but then she hears something interesting. "Speaking of family, have you heard from my sons?" the Avarian asked Moon. "I got a letter from them last month, saying they are doing okay. Oh, and Ludo asked about his belongings in this castle." she answered as she looked out the window as if looking at Ludo`s and Dennis` house. She had a small smile on her face.  
  
"Really? Instead of asking about his siblings and his dear parents, Ludo wants to know about his trash? The stuff that sits in a box in the bottom of the fountain? That damn brat..." and the monster started walking again, muttering insults the entire way. Moon sighed as she followed the other woman and left the hallway.   
  
Twilight`s eyes went wide as she learned that important bit of information. So the box was in a fountain? And by the sound of it, Ludo`s own mother threw it there. Twilight felt a bang of anger at that thought but quickly calmed down, reminding herself she had a mission to fulfill. Climbing down the pillar, the girl made her way to the window in the opposite wall. There was the whole view of the entire courtyard. And there, right in the center, was a big fountain. It was the size of a big pond and was decorated with Avarian statues with two big ones overlooking the courtyard. It was probably the royal family with their many children.   
  
Looking both ways, Twilight tried to open the window. It was unlocked. She could look for an entrance but she wanted to do this quickly and the fastest way was going straight to the fountain through the window. The monster placed her hand on the glass and pushed, the window swinging open under the pressure. Twilight climbed on to the windowsill and saw the drop to the ground was longer than she thought even though she was still on the first floor.   
But she didn`t have any choice. Taking a leap of faith and targeting the nearest bush, Twilight jumped. The air rushed around her as she fell towards her chosen landing spot. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the painful landing but Twilight didn`t expect her wings to act on their own. Her small mewberty wings broke through her dress` fabric and started flapping repeatedly. The girl was couth off guard by her hidden wings but soon realized they were breaking her fall. Using all of her strength, she flapped her wings even harder and finally made it down. But instead of falling from the sky, the fall felt like falling from her bed in the morning, which was better than getting hurt, again.   
  
When Twilight got back on her feet, she made sure she wasn`t spotted. Finally deciding it was safe enough, she dashed to the fountain. Looking into the cold water, she spotted a wet shoebox in the water. That made Twilight`s blood boil. Ludo may have done bad things but he didn`t deserve to be treated like this by his own mother. Twilight tried to ignore the biting cold as she stepped into the fountain water and walked to the box`s location. She reached into the water and lifted it up. She pushed the soaked cover aside and looked inside.   
  
There was a pair of dimensional scissors, two skull pendants and a group photo of Ludo and his former monster army. But it was badly damaged by water and other substances in the fountain. Twilight felt angrier than before but the remembered a restoring spell. She quickly took out her wand and cast it on both the picture and the box. The image was clearer now and the young monster got a better look at it. The ones in the front of the group were Ludo, a frog monster, a crab monster and a giraffe monster. There were more in the picture, like a bear one and even a flower. But what got her attention was Ludo`s expression. He was smiling. Sure, it was full of evil intent but still a happy smile. Twilight let a small smile of her own show before she placed the photo back into the now repaired box next to the other stuff. She tied the box up with the piece of rope she brought and climbed out of the fountain.   
  
"What the hell are you doing there?! Stop at once, you criminal!" came a high pitched screech from behind her. Before Twilight could turn around, she felt a magical blast hit her back and send her off, flying back into the large fountain.  _This seems oddly familiar..._ Twilight thought to herself as she pushed herself up. Looking down, she saw the paint drip down from her face, revealing her cheek marks. Twilight adjusted her hood and hair the best she could before turning around.   
The Avarian queen was standing further away with a pissed off look on her ugly face and Queen Moon was standing on the fountain`s railing. "Who are you and why are you here?" Moon asked with a calm but dangerous voice. Twilight saw that the gate was just past the two women, so her only means of escape was to fight through them.   
  
Instead of answering, the girl took out her wand and sent her own blast to the two queens. It wasn`t meant to hit the but land just close enough. When the two of them got distracted, Twilight made a dash through the cold water to the gate. But Moon recovered faster than she thought and started running towards her, shooting spells right at the monster. Twilight fought back the best she could while dodging. But fate wasn`t on her side. One of the stronger blasts hit her side, the same spot her mother had hurt a month ago. Letting out a pained yelp, Twilight slowed down her running. Moon used this opportunity and shot out a big blast. Twilight noticed the ball of magic coming and quickly ducked away but her cape got hit, burning off from her back.   
  
Moon saw the girl crouched on the ground as she held her side. Her dress was badly burnt where her spell had hit her and it looked painful. The girl`s long purple hair shielded her face and something she was holding close to her chest. "I will ask you again. Who are you and why are you here?" the older Butterfly tried again. "You wouldn`t like the answer..." came a raspy voice from the monster. Her long, lizard-like tail curled around her legs, like trying to protect herself from the queen. "I promise you I won`t hurt you anymore. Just answer me and we will see what we will do next." Moon said with a gentler voice, noticing the girl shiver. Moon concluded she must be cold from landing in the water and being wet in the middle of winter air without her cloak.  _She needs to get inside, fast._ The Mewman queen thought as she walked closer to the young monster.   
  
"Please, you are clearly cold and hurt. Please, let me help you." Moon tried again. Twilight just shook her head but didn`t move from her spot on the ground. She needed to get away before her identity was discovered but she hurt all over and her legs were on the verge of collapsing. It was so cold.   
Moon was starting to get worried. The girl`s shaking got only worse and her skin got only paler. At this rate, she will have to force the young monster into coming with her. "Let me help you." Moon said again, with the gentlest, motherly voice she could muster. "Fine.." came a quiet reply from the child. Moon let out a sigh of relief as she walked even closer to the monster. "Thank you for allowing-" the Butterfly stopped dead in her tracks as the girl looked up. And the sight shocked Moon.   
  
The monster girl had pale blue skin, dark purple hair and blue-golden eyes. But that wasn`t the part that made Moon uneasy. The monster had cheek marks. Two dark blue crescent moons staring right at her. And that wasn`t the only thing. She also had a wand. The Butterfly family wand, holding it against her chest with some sort of shoebox. The girl only gave a smile, showing her sharp teeth. But the smile wasn`t mocking or anything of the sort. It was a sad smile, a tired smile. Like this young girl has seen all the troubles of the world and was ready to accept her rotten fate. It was understanding.   
  
"Who are-" but the Mewman queen`s sentence was cut off when the Avarian queen appeared behind the young girl and hit her square in the head with a large brick, knocking the young monster out cold.  
  
The last thing Twilight heard before blacking completely out was a lot of shouting.  
  
 _I got the box..._  
  
But I didn`t get out...


	15. Chapter 15

Shouting.  
There was a lot of shouting.  
A lot of freaking shouting.  
  
Moon pinched the bridge of her nose as everyone around the table shouted over each other. The Lucitors, the High Commission, the captain of the Royal Guard and, of course, Marco. They were all gathered in the meeting room with the wand in the middle of the table. Moon had returned only an hour ago with the unconscious monster girl with her. Many reacted with shock and confusion. After the girl had been taken care of and sent to one of the bedrooms to rest, the whole castle got lively with shouting. And it had been like that for the whole time, giving Moon a massive headache.   
  
"How do we know those marks are real? They can very well be fake!" Kelly, the new captain of the Royal Guard, shouted while crossing her arms and looking at Moon. "I told you already, she landed in the water and the marks didn`t wash off. If they were conjured with magic, then that is impossible. No spell is strong enough to replicate the real marks." Moon answered with the calmest tone she could manage. The other occupants started a shouting match again. The queen suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to Janna, who just gave her a smile and handed her a cup of tea. "Thank you." Moon thanked the younger queen with a small smile. Janna nodded and stood up, her face turning serious.   
"HEY EVERYONE! SHUT THE HELL UP!" she shouted with the loudest voice she could muster. Everyone imidietly turned quiet, Tom shrinking a little in his chair, knowing his wife is deathly pissed off when she uses that voice. "I get it. Everyone is drawing their own conclusions but here is what I have gathered." The bluenette stepped on the table and walked in the center of it. Rhombulus tried to look up her skirt but got quickly kicked by both Tom and Marco, the demon leaving a burnt mark.   
  
"Let's just take a minute and actually discuss what we saw. We saw a young monster girl with cheek marks and the wand. Now, what was your first thought?" Everyone was looking at each other with unsure looks, no one wanting to answer her. "No one? Okay, here is what I thought. I thought she looked like Star when she was still fourteen." Now that made everyone more alert. Janna was the only one who ever really spoke about the previous princess without any hesitation. "Yeah, that`s right. That chick looks like Star and not only that. Did you notice her tail? That was a lizard tail. Now, I don`t know about you guys but that reminded me of a certain zombie Star raised during her tantrum." An uncertain air filled the room as everyone`s eyes went wide. Moon, River, Marco and Tom went ghostly white, fearing that Janna was going to say what they feared.   
  
"I may be wrong about this, but I am willing to bet one of my boys, that this monster girl`s parents are Star and Toffee."  
  
The room was silent. Janna just hmphed and stepped down from the table, her heels echoing in the quiet room. "Excuse me." Marco muttered after a few minutes and left the room. Hekapoo shot up from her chair and chased after her husband.   
  
"No, no, no, no, no..." the Diaz man muttered as he paced the hallway outside of the meeting room. Hekapoo walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "This can`t be true. This isn`t true! I mean, Star and Toffee..." Marco trailed off, shuddering with disgust. He pried his wife`s arms off of him and started randomly screaming while pacing back and forth. The forger grew tired of his behavior. She understood he needed to let it out. But they didn`t have any proof.   
Hekapoo marched up to him and grabbed him by the cheeks, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Marco Ubaldo Diaz, listen to me and listen good. We have no evidence of this, so don`t jump to conclusions just yet. I get it, you are feeling different emotions about the whole thing. But remember, we don`t have all the facts. If that girl really is Star`s daughter and got the wand from her mother, then we need to hear it from her. Instead of acting like a fool, use your head and prepare yourself for the truth. There is obviously more that we aren`t aware of. So, please, use your ninety-six-year-old mind and stay calm. If you are reacting like this, imagen what Moon and River must be feeling. They need people around them to help them process this and you are the best person for that job. Please, do this for them, do this for me."   
  
Marco noticed small tears appearing in Hekapoo`s eyes. He quickly snapped out of his shock and wrapped her in his arms, giving her a hug they both needed. "Thank you, Hpoo."  
  
Back in the room, Moon was staring at the table with a pale face. Star and Toffee? Together? Having a child? She didn`t know how to process this. She had her own suspicions when she saw the child`s face but didn`t want to linger on those thoughts. Everyone else was whispering among themselves, afraid of the king`s and queen's reaction. But River was also silent, holding Moon`s hand while thinking by himself. Moon looked up and the first thing her eyes landed on the wand. Using her magic, the woman levitated the wand to herself and placed on the table in front of her and just looked at it.   
  
The wand takes on a shape that fits the person who is wielding it. And this wand was honestly beautiful. The head was shaped like a heart with sharp details with hallow holes in it. The handle faded from a dark blue to a lighter one on the bottom, sharpening into a pointy tip. Two black batwings decorated the neck to finish off the look. But Moon thought the wand looked fragile, incomplete. Like it was made of glass. And that made Moon think of the girl herself. But thinking about her instantly brought back the idea of her parentage. She tried to move past that and focus more on who she is, not what she is.   
They only shared a look but that smile has been lingering on her mind for all this time. It was just, well, understanding. Like she knew what Moon must be feeling. She knew what the risks were when she looked up at Moon. But that smile had much more emotions than just understanding. It was sad, ironic, desperate and thinking about it made Moon`s head hurt again.   
  
"The meeting is over." Moon finally said after what felt like hours of silence. Everyone nodded and started leaving the room. Moon carefully took the wand and started to head over to the monster child`s room. She suddenly felt a tug on her arm and turned to see River`s sad eyes. Moon only smiled at him and kissed him quickly on the lips before leaving the room.  
  
The room was finally empty, except for the king and queen of the Underworld. "What the hell Janna?! What were you thinking, dropping the bomb like that?!" Tom started screaming the minute they were alone. His eyes turned red and a fire started burning at his boots. Janna only shrank into her chair and lowered her head, covering her eyes with her bangs. "You know what a taboo subject Star is and then you go, saying stuff like that?! Suggesting that Star is with that FREAKING LIZARD!" Tom`s voice only got louder as he turned angrier. "I know you can be straightforward but that wasn`t the right way to say it! How are you going to make up for this? How can you be so calm about this idea? HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT YOUR BEST FRIEND-" the Lucitor suddenly stopped when he noticed his wife`s shoulders shaking.   
"Do you think it`s easy?" came Janna`s quiet voice. "Do you really think I don`t care? That I don`t comprehend the weight of this possibility?" She stood up and looked up at Tom. Tom`s eyes turned back to magenta and the fire vanished at the sight of the tears streaming down Janna`s cheeks. "Do you really think it is EASY for me? That I say these kinds of things are simple little theories? THIS IS MY BEST FRIEND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT! I SAW WHAT THE PASSING OF OSCAR DID TO HER AND THE LAST THING I WANT TO THINK ABOUT IS HER AND THAT FREAKING BASTARD TOGETHER LIKE THAT! BUT WE BOTH SAW THE GIRL! EVERYONE WAS THINKING THAT AND WE JUST COULDN`T MOVE FORVOAD WITHOUT BRINGING IT UP! I TOOK THAT BURDEN! I WAS WILLING TO SWALLOW MY FEARS AND UNEASINESS TO SAY OUT LOUD THE ONE THING EVERYONE NEEDED TO HEAR! BUT THAT IS NOT EASY! I AM AFRAID OF THE WORST AND I JUST WANTED TO THROW UP THE SECOND I REALIZED WHAT NEEDED TO BE SAID! I AM JUST AS MAD AND CONFUSED ABOUT THIS SITUATION AS ANYONE ELSE! AND THEN YOU START SHOUTING THAT I DON`T CARE ABOUT WHAT I AM SAYING! HOW LITTLE DO YOU THINK OF ME? HOW LITTLE DO YOU CARE ABOUT ME TO ACTUALLY THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT? DO YOU REGRET MARRYING ME? DO YOU-"   
  
The last sentence made Tom`s blood boil. But not at Janna, at himself. He made her feel like he didn`t care for her. He took two long strides and grabbed his wife. He placed one hand on her waist and the other on her cheek, making her teary eyes meet his stern ones. "don`t ever EVER say that again. Don`t ever think that I regret marrying you, that I don`t care about you." Janna gulped and tried to look away but the gentle hand on her cheek stopped her. "I love you, with all my heart. And don`t you freaking forget it. I am sorry that I shouted at you. You are right, as always. Someone needed to bring up the elephant in the room. And the fact that you were the one to do it, just left me amazed. I am proud of you, okay? I am proud to call this amazing and awe-inspiring woman my wife." Janna was shellshocked. This was the sweetest thing Tom has ever said to her, except his wedding vows. She grabbed his face and brought the demon down into a passionate kiss. Tom fumbled a little but kissed back the way that made the queen `s knees weak.   
  
When they pulled apart, Janna placed her finger on her husband`s lips, silencing any apologies he wanted to say. "No need, I forgive you. I know I can be insensitive but there are things even I don`t handle carelessly, Star being one of them." Tom nodded, listening on. "Whatever is going on, we will figure it out and face it together, all of us." Janna gave Tom a sweet smile but suddenly yawned. "Heh, we should go home. I want to make sure Richard and Raphael haven`t boobytrapped the castle with pranks while we were gone." Janna nodded and leaned on his shoulder while walking out of the meeting room and out of the castle.   
  
"Hey, if the Star and... Toffee things turns out to be true, then please, don`t take it out on the poor girl. What I can tell, she has been through a lot already." the bluenette muttered before dozing off. Tom quickly supported her and picked her up bridal-style. "I`ll try, but no promises." he muttered back and the pair disappeared in a flash of fire. 


	16. Chapter 16

Moon was walking calmly to the bedroom, where they had placed the monster girl. The queen may have looked like calm and collected on the outside, she was panicking on the inside. How was she going to approach her? What was she going to say? What do you say to your daughter's- Moon suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway. A couple of guards posted there looked at each other with unsure looks when they saw the queen just stand in the hallway but didn`t say a word.   
  
Moon`s mind was racing. That`s right. That wasn`t just a monster girl. If her mother really was Star, then that makes her Moon`s granddaughter. With all the different things going on, it slipped her mind. She may be half-monster but she could be family. And Moon didn`t know how to react to that. What to think, what to feel? Moon had been focusing on her own thoughts and didn`t even notice that she had started walking again and now she was standing in front of the bedroom door. Moon took a deep breath to calm herself but her thoughts wouldn`t stop running like wild rabbits.   
Was this really a good idea? She could just order some servants to be here in the morning and send the girl on her merry way while the Butterfly family gets its wand back and Aqua could finally become a true queen. But that would leave a lot of questions unanswered. And Moon honestly felt guilty. She felt guilty about attacking the girl. She was still a child and she must have her reasons for being in the Avarian castle. Moon quickly gathered her final thoughts and opened the door.  
  
The bed was empty. The girl was sitting on the window seat and looking outside and she looked relaxed. Instead of the rigid and stiff position, she was in last time Moon saw her, the monster was leaning against the wall with her hands resting on her lap. Her legs were stretched in front of her and her ankles were crossed lazily. Her tail was also in a relaxed position, just hanging over the seat next to her.   
Moon just stared at her. She looked so much like Star. Her rounded face, her round and half-blue eyes and her long hair. And her expression. It was also relaxed, her mouth in a neutral state and eyes half-lidded, mostly from being tired.   
  
Moon took another breath and took a few quiet steps into the room. When the girl didn`t respond, the queen walked fully into the room and closed the door with a soft klick. That got the girl`s attention. Her relaxed expression turned into a surprised one as she turned her head and looked at Moon standing at the door. Her eyes filled with panic as she jumped up from her seat and rushed to the bed in the middle of the room. "Hey, don`t be afraid. I am not going to hurt you." Moon said with a slight squeak in her voice, the sudden movement surprising her. A pair of blue-golden eyes peered up from behind the bed as the girl cautiously stared up at the queen. "Can you come out, please? I would like to talk to you." The girl shook her head at Moon`s words, staying stubbornly still. Moon just smiled a little, being reminded of Star and her stubbornness. She sat down on the bed, placing the wand on her lap. The girl`s gaze shifted from Moon to the wand and just stared at it, clearly in thought.   
  
Twilight`s heart was racing in her chest and her mind was all over the place. Moon Butterfly was here, sitting right there, sitting on the other side of the bed. And she wasn`t angry! She was smiling, of all things! And not grinning, like a villain but smiling softly at her. But Twilight tried to keep her eyes on the wand. Should she try to grab it? But it was right on Moon`s lap, making it easy for her to stop any form of escape. And she was powerful to boot, without the wand! Twilight`s options are very limited in this situation. Stay and face everything that will come, definitely bad things, or try to escape. How does a monster escape her own grandmother, who is a powerful magic wielding queen of a powerful nation?   
"What is your name, young one?" Moon`s soft question pulled Twilight from her thoughts as her eyes lifted back up at the older woman. She considered not answering but figured what harm it will do. "... Twilight." came a small reply from her. Moon smiled a little more. "That is a pretty name. My name is Moon." the queen said as she shifted a little to sit more comfortably on the bed. "I know." that couth Moon off-guard. The girl knew her? Makes sense, she is the queen of the entire kingdom but she didn`t expect the child to know what she looked like. "You are Moon Butterfly, Queen of Mewni." the girl said with a bit louder voice, growing more confident. Moon decided to consider that process.   
  
"Why don`t you sit next to me so we could talk better?" Moon tried again. This time, the girl only hesitated for a moment but did climb up to the bed and sat down. More process. But she was stiff again, sitting in a curled up position with her tail curled around her legs. Moon didn`t like it, at all. "Are you afraid of me?" she asked, cautiously. "Yes." That was harsh. The girl said it without hesitation and right after being asked the question. "Why is that?"

Twilight was panicking. She expected dungeons, sneers and swords to her neck, not a soft bed, clean clothes and, what she can say, a bath to wash away a months worth of filth. Ludo and Dennis didn`t have the best washing options. She didn`t also expect Queen Moon to be friendly to her and ask these questions in such a calm tone. In fact, the older Butterfly looked a little upset when Twilight said that yes, she was afraid. But can she answer why she`s afraid? "I don`t think you would like the answer..." the young girl muttered as she tucked her head into the crook of her arms to hide her face from the queen. 

 

Moon frowned at that. She had a pretty good idea why the girl was afraid but she had no way of knowing. The only option right now was to ask directly, no beating around the bush. "Who are your parents?" Moon asked, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. Twilight looked up in alarm and a bit surprised manner. Her parents? Hadn`t the queen pieced it together yet? Maybe she didn`t make the connection? Ludo and Dennis hadn`t suspected anything at first until she told them who her mother was. They probably guessed the father. Or maybe Moon already suspected who her parents are and just needed it confirmed? Twilight honestly didn`t know what to say and decided to answer as vaguely as possible. "My parents... My mother is the previous owner of the wand and my father... is her..." the young girl drifted off, not daring to finish that sentence since she didn`t honestly know what the relationship between her mother and father were. They weren`t in love, that was obvious. They weren`t even on friendly terms, just... partners. Like business partners, if Twilight was honest. They never smiled at each other and her mother was always insulting the lizard monster when she thought Twilight wasn`t paying attention. 

 

Moon, meanwhile, was having a small panic attack. So it was true. Star and Toffee really were this girl`s parents. But why? And how? Actually the how wasn`t a pleasant thought. But... Why? She knew Star was desperate when she raised Toffee from the dead and wasn`t thinking straight when she fled the kingdom. But she wasn`t that far gone to do something... like this. Maybe she wanted this, as in making some sort of amends for losing her first child? Or did Toffee force her? That made Moon`s blood boil. If that hellish lizard forced her little girl in any way... Then there was a Hell to pay.

"Are you going to throw me out?" a small, unsure voice brought back Moon from her murder plotting. Twilight was looking at her with sad, afraid eyes like her parentage was some sort of crime. But it wasn`t her fault. She was just an innocent... byproduct of this whole mess. Unless she shared her father`s evil nature. But looking into her eyes, Moon didn`t believe that. Sure, she might be pretending to be this innocent little girl but something in her gut told Moon she wasn`t 

 

"No, I am not throwing you out. Especially if you don`t have a place to go." the older woman said with confidence. She wasn`t going to throw her own grandchild into the winter storms. Now that thought actually made Moon... Happy. She had a granddaughter, she was a grandmother. She had been a grandmother for years and she didn`t even know it. And that made Moon tear up a bit. Twilight saw a lonely tear make it into the queen`s eyes when suddenly she was pulled into a hug. The queen was openly sobbing now, hugging Twilight even closer. Was she sad that Twilight was her daughter`s child and reminded her of Star? Or was she sad that her first grandchild was the child of her greatest enemy? The only thing Twilight could think of was to raise her arms shyly to the older Butterfly`s back and try to hug her back. 

"Why are you crying, your majesty?" Twilight asked as she buried her nose in the queen`s collar, finding comfort in the hug. She honestly needed this but wasn`t confident enough to relax into it. Moon took a final breath before slowly pulling away and looking Twilight straight into her eyes. Her eyes were half soft, baby blue, like Star`s, and half shining gold, like... Toffee`s. But her gold wasn`t harsh and cold but warm and kind, mixing with the blue beautifully like the mewmans and monsters had in this kingdom. Star was the reason the Kingdom of Mewni was better than ever, all thanks to her trust in monsters. And here was Twilight, the perfect mix of these two races, representing everything Star had built before she left. Moon didn`t understand what had happened between Star and that lizard but... She was glad Twilight was here. Moon was just glad to have her here.

 

Twilight was honestly`s surprised. Queen Moon was looking at her with this fond smile and warmth in her eyes. Why? Did she pity her? Or was she saying her final goodbye before sending Twilight to the executioner to be beheaded? "Your majesty?" the young monster asked after a few moments of silence. The older woman just shook her head at her. "Please don`t call me that." Twilight was confused, to say the least. What was going on here? "What else should I call you then? Isn`t it expected to talk to authority figures with respect and address them with appropriate titles?" Moon was surprised to hear that. Was Twilight not happy to be here? ut Moon shouldn`t be surprised, the girl did admit being afraid not too long ago. "We are family, Twilight. You don`t need to address me with honorifics. You can call me just Moon or... Grandma, if you like." Moon smiled softly at her as she placed a hand on Twilight`s cheek. 

Twilight pulled away from the touch, like she had been burnt, and looked at Moon with wide eyes. "Why?" Twilight muttered as she backed away from the queen and stood up from the bed. "Why are you so nice to me? Why are you saying these things? Are you trying to trick me? Or is this some sort of sick way of leading to my imprisonment or execution? Just, why? I am the daughter of your only child and your mortal enemy! You should hate me! You and rest of the kingdom should be resenting me, throwing me into the dungeon or sending me out of the kingdom and never letting me return! I just don`t understand. I am half monster, which means I must be something disgusting to you! According to... my sources, the Butterfly family is very traditional and hate monsters. I know that the last few years monsters have been welcomed into the kingdom but I am half monster, half mewman! I must be an abomination to you! Also, my father is the very monster that has tortured you, your daughter and entire kingdom! Why are you letting me stay here? Is it pity or something else? Just why...?" 

 

Twilight felt drained as she just collapsed onto the floor and cried into her hands, letting go of her emotions and screaming out every single doubt that she had thought about on her sleepless nights back with Ludo and Dennis. Damn, she felt another headache coming on. 

Moon sat there, in complete and utter shock. Is that what she thought? That was what was weighing on her young mind? It honestly pained Moon to see her granddaughter like that, so she stood up from her spot on the bed and walked to the crying Twilight and knelt in front of her. She gently pried her claws away from her face and placed a soft hand on her chin and lifting it up while wiping her tears with the thumb of her other hand. "You listen here Twilight and you listen well. I know what both your mother and... father have done but that shouldn`t affect how I think of you. Sure, you look like Star and have that lizard`s tail. But that shouldn`t mean I will be... disgusted with you or think anything unwell about you. You are your own person and I don`t honestly care what you look like. Yes, it is hard for me and will be for everyone for a while and yes, I still am unsure about the relationship between your parents but I would like to know my granddaughter, I want to know her. So please, let me help you." Twilight felt a new wave of tears hit her. Damn, Moon was good with her words. But Twilight believed her. This was too personal and emotional to be just another trick. Twilight nodded and, after a long while, smiled, sharp teeth and all. 

 

A few minutes later, Moon and Twilight were back sitting on the bed and talking their things through. "Why were you at the Avarian castle?" Moon asked. Twilight looked to the side and started playing with one of her front hairpieces. "I was repaying a debt." she answered as she looked out of the window. "Let me guess, that person who you owe a debt to is a short and grumpy Avarian?" Moon asked with a sly smile, already guessing who asked Twilight to break into the castle. The girl only nodded with a smile of her own. But her eyes shifted to the wand next to Moon. The older woman`s eyes followed the girl`s and landed also on the wand. "Are you thinking about what will I do with this?" Moon asked as she lifted the wand between the two. Twilight nodded. The older Butterfly looked at the wand as she spoke. "I have been pondering that myself. I was honestly going to give it to the current heir but looking at it convinced me I just had to come see you. And I am glad that I did. And then I thought back to how you used it back at the other castle. Your aim was spot-on and you cast spells without uttering a word, showing that you are quite a powerhouse for your age." 

Twilight was surprised to hear that. Her mother never commented on her power level so she assumed she was average. But hearing she was more powerful than she thought made her doubt what her parent shave told her all these years. But considering that they have been plotting in secret all these years and Twilight found out about it only recently, really should make Twilight more skeptical about the things they have said over the years. "I think the best course of action at the moment is to give the wand back to you. Your mother gave it to you and I have no right to take it away. So here." Moon placed the wand in Twilight`s hands, giving her a reassuring smile. Twilight gripped the wand as she hugged it to her chest, glad to have it back. Not because of the magic but because of Glossaryck. 

  
Suddenly, Moon opened her mouth and let out a very huge and inappropriate yawn. "Oh, excuse me, I appear to be quite tired." Twilight nodded, feeling the same way. She turned behind her and saw that the sun was appearing from behind the horizon. "Why don`t we both turn in for the night? I will come and wake you when breakfast is ready, alright?" the older woman asked as she stood up so the monster girl could lie down. Pulling the blanket over her, Moon saw that Twilight was already asleep, holding her wand to her chest like a teddy bear. The queen only smiled and quietly left the room. 

When Moon finally made it to bed, River was already up and preparing for his morning hunt before breakfast. "Honey, where were you? I waited for you the whole night." the king said as he helped his wife settle in and kissed her on the forehead. "River." Moon quietly said as he was about to leave the room. River turned to look at Moon and saw a tired smile on her face. "When you get back, would you like to meet your granddaughter?"

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

"Are you sure this is fine, Moon?" Twilight asked her grandmother as they walked down the hallway. Every guard and servant that met them eyed Twilight with caution and a slight curiosity. Everyone in the kingdom had been made aware of the situation that the granddaughter of King River and Queen Moon has returned. Her parentage has been kept a secret from the common folk and is only shared between those who need. That includes the other rulers of the other kingdoms.   
  
Back to the present, Moon and Twilight were walking to the throne room to meet River before breakfast. "You will be alright. Trust me, I have known River for years and he has always been very accepting. He may be a little distant in the beginning but he will come around, sooner or later." the queen assured her as she placed a comforting hand on the girl`s shoulder. Twilight gave her a small smile in return. They stayed quiet after that and continued on.   
Finally, they stood in front of the throne room doors. Twilight looked up at the two giant doors and suddenly found herself back at the mountain castle. The pressure, the danger, the urgency. She suddenly saw her parents behind that door, ready to punish her. "Twilight, are you alright?" Moon pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up at her grandmother. Twilight didn`t realize that she had started shaking slightly. "I am alright, really. I just... I was reminded of a bad memory but I am fine. Just a slip of the mind." the monster assured Moon as she tried to push the bad feeling out of her gut.  _I need to get used to being in a palace again._ Twilight thought as Moon went to open the doors.   
  
River was doing something he never thought doing himself: pacing. What if he couldn`t look at her out of his own feelings? What if she didn`t like him? What if he couldn`t connect with her? All of these thoughts were clouding his mind so he didn`t even notice the door opening. "River, are you alright?" Moon asked once she saw what her husband was doing. The king stopped at once and turned to the two Butterflies at the door. And he finally got his first real look at his granddaughter.   
The first thing River noticed were her cheek marks. He was used to seeing them since his wife`s entire family has them but hers were, well, different. The marks he was used to were all light and more pastel colors. Twilight`s were dark and looked a little off-putting against her blue skin. But, they were oddly nice, for the lack of a better word.  
  
River shifted his gaze a little and met the young girl`s eyes straight on. Her eyes were beautiful. But full of curiosity and... fear? She was afraid? Of what? Him? River suddenly felt a little relieved that he wasn`t the only one who was nervous about this meeting. They both just continued staring at each other across the room.   
  
"Hello there! You can come closer, don`t be afraid. I am not going to hurt you." Calm and steady, that is what Moon spent half the morning hammering into his barbarian brain. Twilight took one hesitant step forward. And then another. And then she was walking until she was standing right in front of him. Twilight had to look a little down since River was a bit shorter than her. River was surprised that Twilight is shorter than Star was when she was fourteen.   
  
"Hello." the young monster muttered back. It was quiet but the king heard her loud and clear. "Come now don`t be shy! I know you are nervous but I am too! I even tripped down the stairs four times just this morning because I was so nervous!" River was now more confident and using his louder voice while smiling wider. He knows he should be more careful but he can`t help himself. He is used to being loud and cheerful, especially when he was in an awkward situation.  
Twilight was honestly delighted. The king was such a fun guy! She was honestly afraid the Butterfly king was going to be this big and scary guy but King River was so honest and cheerful! It was hard to keep the smile off of her face but at the confession of him falling down the stairs Twilight let out a quick laugh.   
  
River heard her small laugh and that only made him happier. Moon was right! It was easy to warm up to her. Before Twilight could react, River had stepped forward and pulled her into a big bear hug. "I`m really glad I met you. I don`t know much about you yet but I would love to get to know you!" River said as he pulled back from the hug and held his hands on her small shoulders.   
Twilight turned to the royal couple and gave them her best smile "I am going to be honest. I was terrified of the concept of meeting you two but I am happy I did. I would really like to learn what rest of my family is like." That honest statement warmed the king and queen`s hearts but it also made them nervous. Jsens are going to adore her, no doubt, but the Butterflies are going to be tricky.   
  
"Moon! Where is the girl? Is she- Aaaaahhhhh!" Before anyone could react, Eclipsa had burst through the double doors and pulled Twilight into a bone-crushing embrace. "I apologize, Moon. I tried to stop her but you know how she gets." Meteora apologized with a sheepish smile as she followed her mother into the room. "It is alright. I should have expected this." Moon replied back as everyone looked at the snuggly woman and the shocked girl. Maybe not all Butterflies will be tricky.  
  
After Twilight was pried from the excited Eclipsa and everyone had talked it out, the group headed to the dining hall for breakfast. "Can I ask you a question, Meteora?" Twilight turned to the older half-monster. "Sure sweetie, what is it?" Twilight toyed with the edge of the dress Moon had given her as she tried to find the right words. "How... What is the... situation in the kingdom regarding... Ones like us?" Meteora had to stop and weight her answer. "Well, I`m going to be honest with you. Mewman and monster couples are rare, even now. It has been a slow process getting to where the kingdom is now." Twilight nodded in understanding as they continued. "But the kingdom did welcome its first half-mewman half-monster citizens a few months back. I am good friends with the happy couple so if you wish, we can visit them if you want:" the older Butterfly said once she saw Twilight`s sad face. She understands how everyone were so quick to welcome her.   
  
Moon heard the conversation and smiled to herself. She knew Twilight and Meteora would get along with each other. The servants saw the group approaching and opened the dining room doors. Marco, Hekapoo and their children were already at the table and waiting for the rest of them to join. The Diaz family was always a family of early birds. "Good morning everyone!" River shouted as he took his seat. "I hope you don`t mind but Eclipsa and Meteora will be joining us." Moon added as she took her seat next to her husband. "It`s okay, the more the merrier!" Marco said as he lifted his mug, ready to take a sip.   
But the mug dropped from his hand as soon as he saw Twilight. The shattering of a dish couth everyone`s attention. Hekapoo, Nathanael and Ember turned to the monster girl with shocked eyes like Marco. Twilight felt uncomfortable with the attention on her and ducked behind Eclipsa and Meteora. "You are the monster with the pretty eyes!" Ember suddenly shouted as she jumped up from her seat, walked across the huge table and hopped right in front of Twilight. The older girl peeked out from between the two women to look at the young forger. She stepped forward and got a better look at the girl.  
  
"I remember you. You threw that snowball at the market." Twilight remembered as she smiled at the girl. Ember felt giddy to finally see the rest of Twilight`s face. "You are really pretty! Can I braid your hair?" Ember asked with a huge smile as she walked circles around the Butterfly. Marco, Hekapoo and Nathanael looked at the scene with shock and confusion while everyone looked at the two with amusement.   
  
"Ember, spark, do you know her?" Marco asked as Ember and everyone else sat down. "No, don`t be silly. I accidentally threw a snowball at her when I went to the monster market with Dimitri and his sisters." Ember explained. Marco nodded as he turned to look at Twilight. She sat between Moon and Meteora right across from him. She looked so much like Star but her sharp teeth and blue skin give away who her father is, if it really is  _him._ "So, what is your name?" Hekapoo asked as she pulled her husband from his thoughts. "I am Twilight. Nice to meet you." the girl answered with a polite smile. The forger smiled back. She doesn`t seem that bad. "Well, my name is Hekapoo. This is my husband Marco and these are my little minions, Ember and Nathanael." Hekapoo couldn`t help but ruffle her son`s blonde hair at the word minions. "Mom!" Nathanael shouted as he tried to get her hand from his hair.   
  
Twilight let out a small giggle at their family antics. She liked this woman. "So, Twilight." The girl turned back to the man sitting right in front of her. "Who are your parents if they let you break into the Avarian castle?" The color drained from Twilight`s face. She recognized Marco from Glossaryck`s stories and was a little scared of the look he was giving her. Marco had grown up to be a big and muscular man, making his glare directed at her even more terrifying.   
"My parents... Are, well... " Everyone at the table had turned to the pair as they stared at each other. They were all waiting for Marco`s reaction. "My mom is... Star Butterfly and my father is... Tof-." Before Twilight could finish, Marco stood up and placed his hands on the table with a loud slap. "Why! Why are you here and not her?! Why is she missing and you are here, sitting with us like nothing! You bitch, you evil little bastard! I want you to go to-!" Hekapoo stood up and punched her husband right in the chin, knocking him on the floor. "What are you doing?! I know you are stressed and mad and sad but you can`t take it out on her! What did I tell you just last night? You are a therapist for god's sake! You have to control your emotions!"   
  
Twilight was terrified. She felt the tears roll down her cheek. Before anyone could do anything, she stood up from her chair and stormed out of the dining hall. Rest of the company turned to Marco with either anger and disappointment. The Diaz man himself was looking at the doors, ignoring the sting on his chin.   
  
Goddamnit, he had some work to do.


	18. Chapter 18

 

 _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea!_ _This was a bad idea! This was a bad idea! This was a-!_  
  
Twilight kept pacing back and forth on a balcony she came across after dashing from the dining hall. She just needed fresh air, even if it was cold winter air. She knew sooner or later someone is going to snap at her. She knew it will go downhill at some point. She hasn`t been at the castle even twelve hours and things were going south. She could have just written a letter once she found out Morgana has been secretly sending letters with her son.   
  
That made Twilight stop her pacing and lean on the railing. Morgana, Max, William and everyone forced to work at the castle were counting on her to break their curse. Morgana could finally be with her family again, William could have a normal teenage life and so on and so forth. She had to let Moon and River know what is going on in the mountains.   
  
Marco was standing behind a half-opened door and watched the girl pace on the balcony. He had run from the room as soon as he had gained his footing after getting punched by his wife. Damn, he loved that woman. But back to the issue at hand. He paid attention to the emotions showing on her face. Despite keeping a mostly neutral face, she was easy to read. Her face was still but her body language screamed many conflicting emotions. The brunette couldn`t help but to compare mother and daughter: Star was always very expressive and she wore her feelings on her sleeve. But Twilight was the complete opposite. She hid her emotions and obviously was used to burying them rather than confronting them.  
  
He was rather surprised when suddenly Twilight`s eyes went wide with, what seemed to be, realization and stopped her pacing by leaning against the railing while looking out at the snow cowered kingdom.   
  
The monster looked to be deep in thought but she was determined. Marco felt even more guilty now. He knew everyone seemed to be on edge even when Moon and River seemed to accept her as their granddaughter. Everyone was trying to stay calm, except Eclipsa. He never understood that lady.   
  
"Is someone there?" the girl suddenly called out. Marco was yanked back from his thoughts, kicked his knee against the door, hard, and fell on his face right in front of the confused Butterfly. "Are you alright?" the fallen Diaz looked up and was met with an offered hand and a shy smile. Dumbstruck, Marco just took the offered hand and continued to stare at the young monster. She was kind and calm with him even after he shouted and scared her.   
  
The two continued to look at each other for a full five minutes in the cold winter winds.  
  
"I wanted to apologize!"  
"I wanted to apologize!"  
  
Both were taken aback by the other. "Why are you sorry? I`m the one who is guilty here." Marco said as he finally registered what the girl had said. "But how are you feeling guilty? You have every right to be mad. I am the one who showed up suddenly, knowing how it will affect the people here, especially the ones who were close to my mother. I should be the one apologizing for coming here and causing all of this trouble for everyone." Twilight spoke with a soft voice like a mother explaining something difficult to her child. She had taken a step back and supported her arms on the railing as she turned her back to her companion. Marco could only look at her with shock and awe. While she did have a logical viewpoint, it wasn`t her fault in the end. She was blaming herself for something that couldn`t be helped.  
  
"Look, you have nothing to be sorry for. It just can`t be helped sometimes. But I must admit, you have been handling all of this pretty well. Star would have panicked and used magic to get out of this situation." Marco let out a small chuckle as he joined Twilight by the railing. "Really?" Twilight turned to him with a small smile. The brunette smiled back and got an idea at that moment. "You know what? I`m going to tell you a story..."  
  
Moon and Hekapoo were walking and looking for the pair. "I`m so gonna kill him once we find them." Hekapoo said matter of factly with a glare. Moon had to gulp a little as she followed the shorter woman. Years of being on the council with the forger has thought the queen a thing or two about her fiery anger. A sound of a girl`s laughter cough Moon`s attention. She stopped in her tracks as she went the direction she heard laughing coming from. Hekapoo saw the other woman go down the other hall and followed her.  
  
They both peeked between the doors that led to a balcony and found who they were looking for. But they were surprised by what they saw. Marco was making grand gestures with his hands as he talked about something and Twilight was laughing at whatever he was telling her. "Well, looks like he only gets a beating up." Hekapoo remarked with a sly smile.   
  
"... and that is how Star and I learned that homework and magic wands don`t mix with a sombrero." Marco finished his story slightly out of breath. He hasn`t talked this much since he taught Nathanael and Ember the history of karate. But Twilight was laughing and that was a plus in his books. But that laugh was laced with something off-putting like she has never laughed like this. Ever. Being a licensed psychiatrist, in many dimensions, it was easy for him to notice all the telltale signs of an unhappy upbringing. He wondered what has exactly happened in these fourteen years.   
  
Twilight finally calmed down and gave him an apologetic smile. "I apologize, I have never laughed like that before. And it was impolite of me to laugh like that while I am around company." She said as she looked to the side but a smile stayed on her face. "No no, it`s okay. It is okay to laugh when you find something funny." Something how she worded her apology rubbed Marco the wrong way. "Where did you hear it is rude to laugh in front of someone?"  
  
"I read it in a book. I never had a chance to learn these things through experience." Twilight admitted as she played with a piece of her hair. Marco continued to look at her as he tried to piece together a picture.  
  
He suddenly came to a shocking conclusion. "Twilight, is this your first time around strangers?" Marco asked with a calm tone. The girl just gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "This is honestly the first time in my life that I have left home." the young monster admitted while pulling her hair in front of her face out of embarrassment.  
  
Marco`s brain short-circuited. This really was Star`s daughter. Only Star`s daughter would brave enough to come here by herself even if she has never left home before. But Marco had to snap himself back to reality. "But why did you come here then?" Twilight visibly tensed. "I..." Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself. "I am only going to say that I came with a purpose. I will explain everything once everyone has calmed down."   
  
Marco can accept that answer. A sudden gust of wind suddenly came and made them both shiver, reminding them they were standing on a balcony in the middle of winter. "Let`s go inside." Twilight suggested as she opened the door. Marco nodded and followed the girl inside.  
  
But the pair stopped in their tracks as they came face to face with Moon and Hekapoo. "Did you apologize?" the shorter woman asked while crossing her arms. Marco gulped loudly as he nodded. His wife continued to stare at him for a few seconds before finally letting out a sigh. "Let`s go, you big idiot. I`m hungry as Hell." she said as the couple started walking back to the dining hall.  
  
Moon stared at the backs of the couple before turning back to the girl next to her. "Are you alright?" the queen asked Twilight. Twilight turned to her grandmother and gave her a firm nod. The older Butterfly smiled back as they followed the pair.   
  
"I know you heard us." Twilight suddenly said. Moon was taken aback but couldn`t be surprised. Hekapoo and she weren`t exactly hiding that they heard the conversation. "Are you... Are you surprised this is my first time in the outside world?" Twilight continued. "I was honestly shocked, yes, but considering what you told me about Star last night it doesn`t seem that surprising." Moon admitted. She admired how level-headed Twilight was being. Sure, she is cautious but she also understands why everyone was on edge.   
  
"But one thing did interest me. Why did come here?" the queen asked once they were outside the dining hall doors. Twilight stopped for a moment by the door.   
  
"I will tell you all everything, I promise." the monster said as she pushed open the doors.

 


	19. Chapter 19

 

"I`m telling you the truth! I have never and I mean NEVER seen my dad snap like that! Even when he got scammed by that gluttonous monkey!" Nathanael exclaimed as he paced in front of Richard and Raphael in the twins` room. "I don`t know. I believe you, trust me, but snapping like that just doesn`t sound like the Marco we grew up with. This girl must a special case or something." Richard said. He just can`t imagen Marco snapping on a young girl. "Oh trust me, she is. Not only did she make my dad snap but she is also receiving some sort of special attention from Moon and River. And I`m not even going to tell you how Eclipsa, ECLIPSA, has been acting!" The Lucitors were taken aback by Nath`s tone. Maybe it was serious when he was worried about Eclipsa, someone he usually ignored as much as possible.   
  
"Okay, we can tell this is driving you crazy. What about we go over there and look into this ourselves. Maybe we can get a better idea of what is going on." Raphael suggested as he stood up and placed a comforting hand on his friend`s shoulder. "Thanks, man. I know we shouldn`t butt into this mess but I just can`t stand being left in the dark." Raphael nodded in understanding. He also didn`t like unsolved mysteries. "Gentlemen, we have a heist to plan!"  
  
In a flash of flames, the three boys found themselves in the Butterfly castle. "Alright, where can we find this Twilight?" Richard asked in a hushed tone. "I don`t know. The last time I saw her she fled the dining hall. I haven`t seen her since." Nathanael admitted. He and Ember left the room right after they finished their breakfast, not wanting to see rest of the unpleasant situation.   
  
"What are you guys doing?" The three boys froze as they slowly turned around. Ember was standing there with her hands full of... Dishes? "What are you doing with those plates, sis?" Nathanael asked his sister. "Oh, these are for a prank! Twilight taught me a pretty tricky one!" the young girl beamed. She has always had a gift with pranks with Richard. But at the mention of their target`s name, the boys perked up. "Do you know where we can find Twilight?" Richard asked. "Sure! After I finished her braid, Moon showed her the library. Well, I`m gonna go and set these up!" the young forger said with excitement as she went on her merry way.  
  
"Library it is then." Nathanael said as they started walking towards the Northen wing of the castle.  
  
"What does this girl look like anyway?" Richard asked as they walked. "I only got a glimpse of her during breakfast. She seemed to have blue skin and dark hair and I maybe spotted a tail?" Nathanael tried to remember the details but he kept his eyes down most of the encounter. "Oh, and Ember said she was pretty but that girl thinks a dead tree is pretty, so I can`t exactly trust her judgment." The twins nodded as they finally stopped in front of the library doors. Raphael placed his hand on the handle as he spoke. "Once we get in there, we-"  
  
CRASH  
  
He was cut off as someone opened the door and walked right into the demon. "Ow... I am so sorry! Are you alright?" Raphael rubbed his head as he looked up. And was met with a mixture of gold and blue. When his focus was back, he actually looked at who was in front of him. It was their target herself! He expected someone, well, uglier not this short girl with a kind smile, even with her sharp teeth.   
  
"Ahem." Richard scoffed behind his brother, trying to stop him for staring any longer. Raphael snapped out of his thoughts and took the offered hand. He noted the sharp claws but the girl was careful with them. "Again, I apologize. I should have paid attention to where I was going." Twilight said as she helped Raphael to his feet. The demon was ready to support his weight but didn`t expect the girl to fully yank him on his feet. She was way stronger than she looked.   
  
"Oh, don`t worry about it. My idiot brother has a tendency to just stand around inconvenient places." Richard said with a bright smile as he wrapped an arm around his twin`s shoulders. "By the way, my name is Richard, you already met Raphael and that is our friend Nathanael." the older Lucitor twin continued with his cheery tone. "Oh, Nathanael, I believe we met at breakfast. I apologize for causing a scene like that." Twilight turned to the surprised blonde. "Oh, well, you don`t have to apologize. My dad was being a jerk. Did he apologized to you?"   
  
Twilight just smiled. "We talked it through, yes. Don`t worry, it won`t happen again." Nathanael nodded as Twilight started walking away. "It was nice to meet you guys. Bye!" And the girl scurried away. The boys saw the braid Ember had done for her and chuckled at how messy and uneven it was. But Twilight didn`t seem to care how it looked.  
  
"You should trust your sister more. She really is pretty." Richard broke the silence with his cheeky remark.   
  
"What took you so long?" River asked as Twilight made it to the training grounds. "I just pumped into someone on my way here." the girl answered as she took out her wand. The king nodded and took on a battle stance as he gripped his spear. "Enough of small talk. Show me how good of warrior are you!" River shouted, excited to see what his granddaughter was capable of. Twilight just smirked back as her wand manifested its blade.  
  
While the two sparred, Moon watched the pair from the terras. This reminded her of the times Star was just a little girl and just started learning combat. It made the queen sad yes, but she also saw how happy River was to have a young sparring partner again. Moon recognized many of Twilight`s moves as her mother`s, proving just who had trained her. Moon didn`t know why Star trained Twilight or why she decided to have a child with her enemy, even if they are partners now. But she had to be patient. Twilight promised to explain everything.  
  
"Hi Moon!" the woman turned around to find Ember standing there with a huge smile. "Good afternoon, Ember. Why don`t you join me?" Moon asked as she gestured to the table and chairs she had the servants set up with snacks and drinks. The young girl nodded and sat down next to the queen. "I must warn you now. Don`t go through the main hall by the entrance." Ember suddenly said with a serious tone. "Why is that? Did something happen?" Moon asked, clearly surprised. "Let`s just say Twilight taught me a cool prank and I just finished setting it up." Ember said with a grin that rivaled her mother`s.   
  
Moon could only laugh a little at the Diaz girl`s antics but was a little surprised to hear that Twilight knew pranks. But then again, she has spent her entire life at only one location, so naturally, she knew a few ways to fight boredom.  
  
The pair continued to look at the match in front of them. It was clear that River was more experienced and stronger but Twilight was agiler and far faster than the king. She even used her tail to swipe River`s feet right under him. It was entertaining, to say the least.   
  
"Ohohoho, what are you two watching." Moon and Ember turned around to find Hekapoo and Janna standing there. Without another word, both women joined the pair at the table to look at the sparring match themselves. "So she isn`t just extremely polite but also a fighter. Very interesting." Janna remarked as she poured herself a glass of juice. "Well, it isn`t all that surprising. Star herself is a warrior, so it would make sense for her to train her child." Hekapoo remarked back. "By the way Ember, your father and Tom found your little surprise. Very clever my girl." the forger praised her daughter as she ruffled her hair. "Thanks, mom but I didn`t make it up. Twilight taught me that prank." Ember explained, not taking her eyes away from the match.   
  
"Oh really? Well, that makes her even more interesting." Hekapoo remarked with a grin as she turned back to the fight. "What exactly happened? I need to know!" Janna exclaimed as she turned to Ember. She never misses a prank. NEVER! "I placed different plates on the floor of the main hallway. The really easily breakable ones. The one who has comes across it thinks they must walk through them. But the plates are actually on this really thin thread that is pulled tight under them. So when dad and Tom stepped between them, they ended up shattering them anyway, like they were under a spell!" Ember explained the prank to the Underworld`s Queen. The trick itself is simple but it confuses whoever falls victim to it. "That`s why Tom and Marco were looking for a broom while panicking like maniacs!" Janna flopped down on her chair laughing.   
  
"What`s so hilarious?" River asked as he and Twilight walked over to the table. "Ember here just explained one of the most hilarious pranks I have ever heard!" Janna laughed but suddenly stood up straight with a serious expression. "I can use that to get back at Richard and Raphael for last week. This is perfect."  _And we lost her._ Moon and Hekapoo thought as they looked at the dark-haired woman.   
  
"Raphael and Richard? Do you know them?" Janna turned to Twilight who was whipping sweat from her face with a towel. "Of course I know my own sons. The question is, how do you know them?"  
  
"I ran into them by the library. That is why I was a few minutes late to spar with River." the monster girl explained as she took the drink Moon offered her. "Why were they at the library?" Hekapoo mused to herself. She can see Raphael and Nathanael going there but Richard was unlikely. "They were looking for Twilight! I told them they can find her at the library. Was I not supposed to?" Ember asked with curious eyes. "No, it is alright. But why were they looking for Twilight?" Moon wondered out loud.  
  
"I guess Nathanael dragged them here. He was probably curious about what is going on. We haven`t exactly told him any details." the forger remarked as she took a sip from her drink.   
  
"I can`t believe they were all connected by a thread! What type of monster thought that up!" Tom complained as he and Marco finished their cleaning and walked to the courtyard. "You have to admit it was pretty creative." Marco thought. The Demon King just grumbled.   
"I just pray Janna never learns of this prank." Both men shuddered at the thought of Janna learning of this prank and putting her own twist on it.   
  
Oh, the horror!

 


	20. Chapter 20

 

The next day, Meteora Kept her word and took Twilight to meet her friends who were proud parents of a half mewman half monster son. The couple lived a bit further away from the castle, so the pair had to walk there. Twilight kept close to Meteora as they walked. Passing monsters and mewmans eyed Twilight curiously. She didn`t hide her cheek marks, so naturally, everyone was going to stare. But her companion seemed unbothered by it. She walked like she owned this place, and what Twilight heard from Moon, she almost did.   
  
    "Hei, Twilight can I ask you a question?" Meteora sked out of the blue. The younger girl turned away from the scenery and looked up at the older woman, giving her a shy nod. Meteora only smiled back as she continued "I was just wondering, are you cold?" Twilight shook her head but was a bit confused. "The air is cold, of course, but this jacket is pretty warm. Why did you ask?" Twilight asked back. "I was just curious since your dad is a reptile, so he is cold-blooded. I was just wondering if you are too." Meteora said as she glanced at the passing people.   
  
    They were all looking at their direction, one way or another. Meteora was used to the stares since many people whispered behind her back about what she did before her rebirth. But it was making Twilight noticeably uncomfortable and it bothered her. Without thinking, Meteora took the younger girl`s hand into her own and quickened their pace.  
  
    "Ah, slow down, please!" Twilight was taken by surprise and almost fell over on the ice but luckily regained her footing. "Oh, sorry! I just wanted to get away from that crowd." Meteora apologized. Twilight just let out a small smile. "It`s alright. I was just couth off guard." the girl answered as the pair continued their walk.   
  
    "Twilight, I know those people were bothering you." Meteora stated as they were further away from the main street. Twilight just looked down out of shame of being found out. But she didn`t expect to feel two firm hands on her shoulders as she met two serious purple eyes. "Listen here, Twilight. It is OKAY to let others around you know that you are uncomfortable. That`s why we have the people close to us, to help us with things we alone can`t do." The older woman was dead serious. Twilight was honestly dumbstruck. But smiled and nodded none the less. Meteora smiled back as she gave her shoulders a final firm squeeze and let go.  
  
    After walking a couple of minutes, the pair heard the sound of a hammer hitting metal. They rounded the corner and came across a blacksmith workshop. A tall man was behind the counter hammering away on an ax. "Timothy!" Meteora called her friend as she skipped over to him. Timothy was shocked to suddenly come face to face with his best friend but smiled brightly. "Tora, what a pleasant surprise!" the man shouted with excitement and came from behind the counter to give Meteora a hug. Twilight felt her mouth fall open in shock as she saw Timothy`s lower half. He had a long snake-tail.  
  
 _"My grandson lives there as a blacksmith with his family."_  
  
    "Tim, I would like to introduce you to someone. This is Twilight." Meteora said as she pulled away from the hug and looked at Twilight. When Timothy followed her gaze, his eyes met with an unexpected sight. His eyes went wide as he saw the girl. His grandmother had once described Twilight in the only letter he received from her when security at the mountains was disrupted. But he never imagined to see her with his own eyes. She was a lot shorter than he imagined her to be. And she didn`t look like the living weapon Morgana had described her parents wanted her to be.   
  
    "Is she alright?" Timothy asked in a small voice about his only living relative. Meteora was taken by surprise but when she looked at the younger girl, she seemed to understand what he meant, which was even more shocking. "I honestly don`t know. The last time I saw her everything was chaos back there." Twilight said, knowing the naga man will know what she meant by `back there`. "Are you planning on helping them, all of them?" Timothy continued asking. "Of course. That is the main reason why I am even standing here." the girl answered with a determined look.  
  
    "Is someone going to fill me in?!" Meteora suddenly shouted out of frustration. She was getting more and more irritated that she was left in the dark. The other two monsters looked at the woman and both gave her a sheepish smile. "Why don`t we continue this inside? I`m still cold-blooded, you know." Timothy tried to joke to lighten the mood.  
  
    Meteora gave him the coldest glare he has ever seen. The man gulped loudly. "Explanation got it." he squeaked out as he opened the door to the house part of the building.  
  
    Meteora listened carefully while sipping her tea as Twilight told her everything that she knows. Timothy sat next to his best friend. He was worried about how she was going react. "... And after I was confronted by my mother, I escaped the castle and spent about a month in the Forest of Certain Death." Twilight finished her story out of breath. "How did you survive in the forest?" the naga asked out of pure curiosity. "I met two monster brothers, who saved me and helped me get better." Twilight said while smiling a little, remembering the fun she had with Ludo and Dennis.  
  
    "How are you going to save them?" Twilight and Timothy looked at Meteora as she looked at the young girl with serious eyes. "You got out, sure, but what are you going to do next? Warning the kingdom doesn`t free them. It only helps us be prepared. Like you said, you don`t know the details of their spell, so breaking it is going to be tricky. Do you have a plan to do it? And what about your parents? They are still out there and will continue to be after the soldiers and servants are free."  
  
    Meteora did have a point. Twilight hasn`t thought of the details because she has been only focusing on what is right in front of her. "I honestly don`t know. But I am trying. The reason I spend my time in the library is to research different trapping spells and enchantments. I have also looked at different maps, just in case, to try to predict the attacking route." Twilight explained. She has never had to do something like this but thanks to her training and lessons on warfare, she is well equipped with the necessary knowledge.   
  
    "Wait, you don`t know?" Timothy asked suddenly. The Butterflies turned to him with raised eyebrows. "My grandma said in her last letter that they started planning out the attack. They are making preparations to build up their first base." he explained. Twilight`s eyes went wide while Meteora dropped her cup, shattering it.   
  
    "Where and when?" they both shouted with urgency. "The first camp is planned to be at the edge of the Lake of Endless Suffering. They will start setting it up at the beginning of spring." Timothy explained, trying to remember every detail Morgana sent him.   
  
    Before the conversation could continue, the front door opened. "Honey, could you get the bags, Cloud is getting cranky." a woman`s voice called from behind the corner. "Oh, right away!" Timothy called as he rushed behind the corner to help the newcomer. Twilight looked at his fleeting back with a confused look but when she turned to Meteora, the older woman just gave her a smile.  
  
    The two Butterflies rounded the corner and were met with a heart-warming sight. Timothy took the bags from his wife as he gave a quick kiss on her cheek and nuzzled his son. "Honey, we have visitors." The blonde woman turned to look at the guests in her home and her smile brightened. "Meteora, what a lovely surprise!" She said as she went over and hugged the other woman. "It is lovely to see you again! Diana, this is Twilight. Twilight, this is Diana." Meteora introduced the two as she gently pushed the younger monster forward by her shoulders. Twilight smiled shyly at the other woman. "It is very nice to meet you, Diana." Diana smiled back at her. "Likewise." she said back with a kind smile. The baby in her arms was looking at Twilight with big, green eyes and started babbling while reaching out towards the girl. "Oh, how rude of me. Twilight, This is my tiny, handsome son Cloud." Diana giggled at her child`s antics while Twilight looked alarmed.   
  
    Twilight has never met a baby, ever. She has read about them, sure, but has never seen one, except pictures. But seeing one in real life was quite a shock. He was so much smaller than she imagined and hearing what appeared to be talking for a baby was honestly alarming. This is how every living thing starts out as. A helpless, fragile baby. It was hard to imagen that once she was like that, naive and helpless. But this was even a stronger reminder of why she was here. To protect innocents like Cloud and Dianna. They didn`t deserve to go through the hardships of war.  
  
    "Would you like to hold him?" Diana`s gentle voice pulled Twilight from her grim thoughts. That turned her from serious to nervous and flustered in a snap. "Wait, really? But I don`t know how! And I would certainly drop him or hold him wrong or maybe he would start crying! And I am even surprised you would trust me! Why would you do that? You just met me and you have no reason to trust me and even then-" The women were left staring as Twilight flailed her arms around nervously as she rambled out her fears and questions.   
  
    Seeing no stop, Meteora sighed and placed a firm hand on Twilight`s shoulder, snapping her back to reality. "Twilight it will be alright. We will be here to help and guide you. Stop worrying so much." Meteora said with a laugh as she and Diana helped her sit down and take Cloud into her arms.  
  
    When Timothy entered the living room and was met with an amusing sight. His son was sitting on Twilight`s lap as he giggled and played with the girl`s long tail. Twilight herself was also looking at Cloud with curiosity herself. It was obvious she has never seen an infant and was trying to solve him like a riddle. Meteora and Diana were both drinking tea and chatting away on the couch but he could tell Diana was also looking at Cloud from the corner of her eye. She was such a dedicated mother and Timothy loved her for it.   
  
    Twilight was honestly enjoying playing with the small boy. Seeing him laugh as he hugged her reptilian tail was oddly satisfying. She was happy that she could bring a smile to his face. And Cloud seemed to like her too. He looked up at her with a wide smile every now and then and the girl felt her heart melt at the sight every time it happened. 


	21. Chapter 21

 

 

In the evening, Twilight was spending her time in the library. She was browsing the books but also studying different maps of the land.  _Lake of Endless Suffering, huh._ the girl thought as she compared different maps. The older maps had the lake marked clearly while the newer ones didn`t include its exact location. That posed a bit of a problem.   
  
    How were they supposed to plan a coherent raid of the camp if the maps all showed vastly different routes?  When Twilight compared the two maps, she started to understand why the lake was cut from the main locations. This kingdom was just one of many that shared this land. Mewni was a collection of smaller kingdoms, the main one being Mewni itself that was ruled by the Butterflies. But other kingdoms were less consistent, appearing and disappearing over the ages. That was why the maps were all so different.   
  
     _This poses an issue. But of course, they wouldn`t make it this easy._ Her parents must have been aware that their servants pay attention to the things they talk about. It must have made them paranoid. But that means the Lake of Endless Suffering must be a real place on the current maps too.   
  
    Twilight worked to lay all the maps she found on the ground and secured the curling edges with other books she planned on reading later. The girl realized quickly that the land never really changes, only the names and borders. Cross-referencing all the maps, Twilight noticed a pattern of areas being covered by kingdoms and what was once the Lake of Endless Suffering was now the Waterfolk Kingdom.   
  


    "I am going to need some parchment and a quill..." Twilight muttered to herself. She had a long night ahead of her.

 

     _How dare he?! I spent my entire week looking for that book and he is ungrateful? The nerve!_ Princess Aqua, the heir of the Butterfly family, walked angrily in the hallway in the early morning. She had just returned from her parents` estate to resume her queen training before Stump Day celebrations. While there, she had scoured the library in search of a book she was sure Raphael would love. But he said he apparently had already read that one. Ugh, boys! 

 

    The frustrated princess opened the castle`s library doors to sore the book here for her stay. But when she was looking for a secure place, she came across an unusual sight. 

 

    Many parchments and open notebooks littered the floor and table as the area was full of stacks of books about magic and geography. There were also many maps from different points in history on the table on top of each other. On top of it all, a stranger was sleeping at the desk, arms crossed as their head was resting on them, face down. Their long hair was a mess, scattered around them on the table.

 

    Aqua honestly didn`t know what to make of this. This stranger was clearly working all night in the library if the many burnt candles around them were a hint but how did they get here? Maybe some scholar's apprentice? Or just someone who was granted access to the royal library? The heir clearly couldn`t call the guards since she knew they patrolled the area during the night and if she was an uninvited guest, she would be in the dungeon already. 

 

    Aqua slowly made her way around the mess but the stranger suddenly started stirring and slowly raising their head. It was a girl, about Aqua`s age, but that wasn`t what couth the princess` attention. The girl was clearly a monster. She had light-blue skin and a reptilian tale and when she yawned, her sharp and pointy teeth were proudly at display. 

_Ugh, has no one taught her to cover her mouth when yawning?_ Aqua thought, eye twitching.

 

    The monster was still sleepy but seemed to realize she wasn`t alone. She slowly turned her gaze to where the princess was standing and her eyes went wide. But so did the Aqua`s with surprise.

 

    The girl had cheek marks! 

 

    "Who are you? Where did you come from and why are you here?" Aqua screamed at the top of her lungs, voice filled with rage and confusion. The sudden yelling made Twilight fall over in her chair, not prepared for the sudden shouting. She groaned as she hit her head on the floor. "So much for a quiet morning..." Twilight muttered to herself as she slowly sat up, placing a hand on the sore spot on her head. 

 

    The other girl was still standing in her spot. She was wearing a light pink, frilly dress decorated with golden ribbons. Her light blue-green hair was in an elegant up-do with a small golden crown with small pink pearls placed on her head. Her eyes were brown, fixed on Twilight as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground as she waited for an answer. 

 

    But her fancy get-up wasn`t the only odd thing about her. She had cheek marks, just like her and Moon. Hers were water drops, colored light blue. Twilight`s eyes widened with realization as she quickly stood up and bowed deeply. "I am so sorry! I didn`t see you there! I ask for your forgiveness. I was doing some prep work last night and lost track of time!" the monster girl rambled.

 

    Aqua was honestly couth off guard. But she would be lying if she said it didn`t flatter her. She may not know the monster but she seemed to know who she was talking to. "Well, I guess I can forgive you but you better clean up your workplace. This place is just horrible!" the princess said with a pleased smile. The other nodded and quickly started gathering the supplies scattered around the table.

 

    "Aqua? Are you in here?" Moon called as she came into view from behind a bookshelf. 

 

    "I`m over here aunt Moon Good morning!" Aqua cheerfully greeted her. Moon gave her a relieved smile but noticed Twilight behind her, putting away books and maps. "Oh, Twilight! Good morning! I believe you had a good night?" the queen`s smile widened as she walked to her granddaughter and gave her a hug. 

 

    The open display of affection and Moon`s cheerier demeanor confused the princess greatly. What is going on? The older Butterfly started helping the other girl by putting away books and gathering papers to stack them in one place. Why?!

    "Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Moon asked the monster girl. "Maybe an hour at the most. I am sorry..." Twilight trailed off when she noticed her grandmother`s disapproving look. "I get that you had to do some work but you also have to take care of yourself. How can you be prepared to hold a meeting when you are sleep deprived?" The queen didn`t like Twilight`s obvious lack of self-care. It did not sit well with her at all. 

    "Aunt Moon, apologize for being blunt but... WHO THE HELL IS SHE?!" Aqua suddenly yelled, not liking the fact that she was ignored by the two other Butterflies.

    "Oh, I am so sorry. Twilight, come here please." Moon said as she walked over to her niece. Twilight slightly raised her brow but didn`t say anything as she put away her last book before walking over to them. "Aqua, this is Twilight. And Twilight, this is Aqua, the current heir of the Butterfly castle." Moon explained as the two girls studied each other. Now that she was standing closer, Twilight could tell Aqua was a few inches taller than her. "Nice to meet you Aqua!" the monster politely said with a smile. 

    The princess studied the other. She didn`t like this girl, at all. "Likewise." Aqua curtly answered with a tight smile, not liking to be standing next to a monster. Twilight didn`t seem to be aware of the other`s discomfort. 

    "Now Aqua, this might sound crazy but Twilight is actually your cousin. She is Star`s daughter, my granddaughter. Isn`t that exciting?" Moon explained with a smile. She hoped Aqua could take the news well so it would be easier to tell about Twilight to rest of the Butterfly family. 

     _This is crazy! Absolute madness! Her? Star Butterfly`s daughter? A_ **MONSTER?!**

Aqua was suddenly filled with white, hot rage. First Eclipsa and Meteora and now this? Without thinking, the heir suddenly stepped forward, making Twilight take a few steps back. "Listen here, monster! I do not believe anything Aunt Moon is saying! You can fool everyone all you like but once this gets to my family, there will be consequences for lying your way into the castle and fooling everyone here. Trust me, they soon will be calling for your head!" Aqua threatened with a chilling voice, making Twilight stumble out of fear and landing on the floor second time this morning. 

    "What, you can`t even defend yourself? How pathetic! This will be a taste of what`s to come." the princess continued with a cruel smile as she raised her hand, ready to strike.

    Out of reflex, Twilight suddenly took her wand from her belt and made a barrier around herself before the hand could touch her.

    Aqua saw the wand and her anger melted into surprise. The Butterfly family wand! But how? "Where did you get that?" she asked the scared girl. Twilight looked up at her cousin and trembled but answered anyway. "M-m-m-my mother..." she answered stuttering. 

    Before the situation could get any worse, Moon used her magic to pull her niece away from Twilight and stepped between the two girls. She glared at Aqua, who saw her angry expression and lowered her head, knowing she messed up. "Aqua Uranus Butterfly! Your behavior is absolutely unacceptable and I order you to go to your room and stay there until I come and talk to you. I know you hate monsters but they are a part of our kingdom and you need to learn to let go of your hang-ups. Now go!" Moon yelled with anger as she watched her niece run out of the library.

    If this was Aqua`s reaction, Moon was afraid how rest of the Butterfly clan will react. The queen gave a tired sigh as she turned to the scared girl behind her, offering her hand to help.  _One day at a time, Moon._

Aqua opened the door to her room and threw herself on the bed deep in thought. When she looked up, she saw the tapestry on the wall. It was one of the previous queens, holding her version of the wand high and proudly. Aqua`s eyes hardened as she looked at the image.

     _I will get that wand, one way or another._


	22. Chapter 22

"Are you certain you want to do this? It is okay if you want to do this at a later date." Moon said with a soft voice as she and Twilight sat in the drawing room, drinking tea. Their earlier run-in with Aqua had left the poor monster girl shaken. "Yes, I am sure. I have kept everyone in the dark long enough." Twilight answered confidently as she finished her tea and stood up, seemingly better.  
  
    Moon gave an unsure look but didn`t say anything as she followed her granddaughter out of the room.  
  
    Everyone else were already waiting for them in the conference hall, eager to learn more about the situation. The Lucitor and Diaz family with River, Aqua, Eclipsa and Meteora were there. Plus the Magic High Commission and the Head of the Royal Guard Kelly with her second-in-command Katrina. They were all seated in front of the stage where the main speaker, Twilight, was meant to perform.  
  
    "What do you think she will say? I mean, she is still our age." Richard whispered to his friends from his seat. The kids were luckily seated together. "I honestly don`t know but whatever it is, it must be important if they are willing to use what is dubbed the War Room." Nathanael whispered back. Aqua, who was just sitting behind them, scoffed. As if a monster had anything important to say to her.  
  
    The doors suddenly opened and Twilight walked in with Moon behind her. The young Butterfly walked up the steps to the stage while the queen took her seat by her husband.   
  
    Twilight was nervous. No, that was an understatement. She was terrified. With they everyone were looking at her reminded her of the cold stares she got from her parents. But now was no time to freak out. They were the reason she was here in the first place! Taking a deep breath, she began.  _Remember, this is just like speaking in front of the army back at the mountains.  
  
   _"Hello, and thank you for coming!" she began, not forgetting her manners. "As I am sure, all of you have questions about me and where I came from. Please be patient as I explain everything I know. If you have a question then you are free to ask it."  
  
    "Firstly, if anyone is still skeptical about this then yes, my parents are Toffee and your lost princess, Star Butterfly. I know many of you are surprised, shocked, angry and even disgusted to learn that. I understand. But there are more pressing matters to discuss." Deep breath. "My parents are planning on declaring war on all of Mewni."  
  
    Sudden murmur and muttering broke out among the audience. War? With Star and Toffee?  
  
    "And that is not all. Over these past years, they have built an army of highly trained and merciless monsters. But they are not there by choice. You see, my parents have set up in an old castle in the northern mountains or the Jaggy mountains as they are named on the maps. To keep the place running, my parents have lured in a large number of monsters and have trapped them there by a magical spell. I honestly don`t know what type of spell holds them there but I have been reading all the different books about captive and capturing spells."   
  
    Everyone in the room nodded as they mulled over the information given. The only one not thinking about the situation was Aqua. She had her arms crossed and her cheeks were red with frustration. So a war was possibly coming, so what? Mewni had one of the best armies of all of the dimensions plus the support of all the other kingdoms sharing the land. And who cared about some trapped monsters? It was their own damn fault for going to that castle.  
  
    "Is that why you are here? To help them?" Moon suddenly asked the monster girl. She nodded in response as she started playing with a piece of her hair. "Yes, I am here because of them. They are the reason I am who I am, to be honest. "My parents... Are not the most... Cuddly or really supportive so I depended on the castle`s staff and the soldiers while growing up a lot. They all have helped me and I want them to have the freedom to live their lives in peace, away from that cursed place."   
  
    Twilight didn`t notice that while speaking a few tears made their way into her eyes. Meteora, with a few more, noticed that but she understood better than anyone. She had watched Twilight and Timothy talk about the naga`s grandmother Morgana in great length and knew why the girl was so attached to her and the other monsters back at the castle. They were her only family all these years and she cared too much about them to abandon them.   
  
    But that also reminded her of another thing that needed to be discussed.  
  
    Twilight took a deep breath and continued. "But it turns out the war may be coming sooner than we thought. Yesterday I was informed that Star and Toffee are making plans and readying themselves to set up their first war camp at the edge of the Waterfolk Kingdom, most likely behind the hills in the forest, right in the blind spot between three kingdoms. They are set to make camp this coming spring when the snow is gone but the weather is stormy enough to hide their tracks."  
  
    Her audience fell silent. No one made a sound. This was... so sudden. Kelly was already thinking of different routes of attack but... She couldn`t attack Star. She may be this unstable mage now but the captain still remembered the fun they had over the years.  
  
    Unknowst to her, everyone else had similar thoughts. They all knew they had to protect the kingdoms but can they really fight Star when it came down to it. She was very powerful and now she has had years of practice to become even more skilled than ever. Even if they raided the camp and defeated the soldiers, can they stand against one powerful Butterfly?  
  
    "How do you know this?" came a sudden question in a flat tone. Aqua was standing now, staring down the girl on the stage. Twilight was taken aback, having been in her own thoughts this whole time. "How are you certain they will be there? There are many other good hiding spots in the area. What makes you so certain?"   
  
    "Well, looking at the maps, it just seemed the most logical place to set up a war camp. The location is hidden but the hidden area is big. It also leads straight into three kingdoms, making it a perfect place to retreat to and since the area is covered in trees it is hard to predict an ambush from the woods. And the forest holds many valuable resources to survival like food, clean water, firewood etc." Twilight explained, drawing from all the knowledge she had rad from books and what she was taught about warfare.   
  
  
    "You seem pretty confident in your claim. How do you exactly know all of this if it is obvious you want no part of the attack?" Aqua continued as she smirked watching the other girl squirm.   
  
     _I knew I had to talk about this but not so soon... But I promised myself not to hold anything back!_ Twilight looked Aqua straight into her brown eyes with her own mix of gold and blue. She answered "I know all of this because the art of war and combat is all I know. I have trained ever since I could walk. Why do you think my parents kept me around if they hate each other? They could have easily taken care of me before I was born but they didn`t. And you want to know why? They wanted my magic, my skills for their plans. The only reason why am here is that they wanted me to a pawn in their game, the key to their victory! I have no purpose but to be the perfect soldier who follows orders, a freaking living weapon!"  
  
    Everyone was shocked when Twilight broke down in tears, obviously letting out steam that had been gathering for a long time. Before anyone could do anything, Twilight muttered a small "Excuse me." and left the room crying. Meteora was the first to stand up and follow the younger hybrid out of the door.   
  
    Everyone started standing up and leaving the hall after a few silent minutes. Moon and River went the direction Twilight and Meteora had left while the other grown-ups went their own way, most likely to discuss what just happened. But not before Hekapoo grabbed Aqua by her shoulder and dragged her with the Commission. She had one pissed off look in her eyes as she dragged the complaining princess with her.  
  
    "Do you think Twilight will be okay?" Ember asked Nathanael as she grabbed his hand walking out of the hall. Her brother looked at her sad eyes and sighed. "I think so. Everyone seems to want the best for her, especially after learning... that." He honestly felt conflicted. He didn`t know that girl well but learning that the only reason you exist is for someone else`s gain must be hard on anyone.   
  
    Raphael wasn`t listening to his friends, walking a few steps behind them. That look on Twilight`s face when she spoke about her... circumstances was haunting. It was a far cry from the warm, kind smile she offered him when the met yesterday. He kinda wished he wasn`t at that meeting today. But he understood why his parents wanted him and his brother there. With the information that Twilight shared, these were hard times ahead all of them and as future leaders of the Lucitor Kingdom, he and his twin had to be prepared to take on the roles they were born into.   
  
    But, it`s just too soon. Everything is happening too fast. Stump Day is approaching and from there it is only a little less than two months until spring. Time was limited and Raphael was honestly giving himself a headache thinking of all the things that had to be done before spring.  
  
    "Bro, you okay? You have been staring at that wall for a while and it is starting to freak me out." Richard pulled his brother from his thoughts. The younger twin suddenly snapped his head up and looked at his friends. They looked worried and he didn`t want that. Ember had tears in her eyes, Nathanael looked like he was about to give up and Richard, his dear older brother, was frowning.   
  
    He never frowned.  
  
    "Look, I know we are all tense and things are complicated. But we have people that we trust around us and we can trust. Things are going to be rough but we can still help them by making sure everyone is taking care of themselves and happy." Raphael finished his little speech with a bright smile. Others seemed to agree with him as he knelt down and wiped Ember`s tears and booped her nose, making her giggle. Nathanael gave him a grateful smile.  
  
    "Now that is a plan I can get behind! Where do we star?" Richard said as the group continued walking down the hall. Raphael thought it over and the first thing he thought of were the tears they saw in the hall.  
  
     _The first thing we do is help someone smile again._  
    


End file.
